REQUEST APPOINTMENT
Office Hours
Exercise. You either love it or hate it, but most of us know that we should all do it! Obesity is increasing in Canada and obesity related diseases are also on the rise, there are reasons for this. One being that some of us are living very sedentary lives, cars allow us to get to point A to point B in a jiffy so instead of walking (sometimes even short distances) we hop in a car, some people work office jobs where they sit at a desk all day and once we get home we park ourselves on the couch and watch T.V.. When one lives this kind of lifestyle, they may find that their weight will increase since extra calories are not being burned.
Processed food and fast food options are incredibly abundant, cheap and readily available. With busy parents shuffling kids to school, extra curricular activities on top of working; finding time to make home cooked meals may suffer and relying on ready made meals or fast food is sometimes easier to fill empty tummies. This type of high calorie food however is full of preservatives to make it shelf stable, contains little nutrition and may be high in sugar and salt and low in quality fats. If one were to find themselves eating this type of way a few times a week inflammation can occur as the body tries to cope with the influx of toxic food and in turn may lead to weight gain as the body is not supplied with the necessary nutrients to function optimally.
I will reiterate, for some exercise is an inconvenience and time consuming or expensive or whatever other excuse we may come up, but it doesn’t have to be!! Exercise comes in so many different forms that you’re bound to find something that you enjoy and will get your body moving!
Bootcamps - one of my favorites! Here in the clinic we have Maria Garside who runs a once a week bootcamp that our patients have taken advantage of. I have also attended her bootcamps and let me tell you it is one heck of a workout!! Not only am I sweating and sore but even just attending once a week I have found that I have gotten stronger and am capable of doing more reps when the next bootcamp rolls around. This style of workout is great because it offers a variety of exercise with very little equipment, you get a whole-body workout and the added bonus on someone who is motivating, ensures that you have proper form so that you don’t injure yourself and creates a workout that is never boring!
Yoga - One wouldn’t automatically think of yoga when it comes to working out but those who have done it beg to differ. Yoga puts an emphasis on holding your positions and deep controlled breathing, when holding poses all the muscles involved are firing up and working hard to stabilize the pose; anytime a muscle is activated you are burning energy. It is very gentle on the body and great for those who maybe want to ease into some form of exercise.
Walking - One of the best in my opinion. It’s free, you can do it outside or on a treadmill and its low impact but oh so effective. As a start, go for 30-minute walks a day and build up from there, something as simple as a walk will burn extra calories and allow you to keep the weight off, it’s also a really great way to de stress!
HIIT workouts- Not only are these workouts highly effective they are actually super fun! HIIT (High-intensity interval training) workouts are a form of interval training that alternate short periods of intense anaerobic exercise with short intense recovery periods in between. These types of workouts usually last under 30 minutes but I have seen some last 45 minutes. HIIT workouts are great because times can vary based on a participant’s current fitness level. Also, they require little equipment, usually a few sets of dumbbells at varying weights. You can find loads of HIIT videos on You Tube, one of my favorites is HASfit, the couple running the workouts are very motivating and explain the workouts thoroughly.
Those are a few ideas to spice up your exercise life! Albeit there are many, so please do explore all the options to keep things fresh. Remember that our bodies are designed to move, therefore exercise is a must to stay healthy and keep out hearts strong. All it takes is at least 30 minutes a day!
Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only, it is not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent any illness or disease. Please consult a professional for your healthcare needs.