ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Working out—it builds muscle, endurance, strengthens your heart, helps your brain … just 30 minutes three to four times a week can add years to your life. But if just thinking about going to the gym deflates your enthusiasm, we have some ways you can re-think your workout and get motivated to exercise.
It’s calming, lengthens muscles, and improves flexibility, but did you know yoga helps digestion too? The twisting poses are actually helping your bowels and intestines contract and loosen.
Pickleball—it’s a hard-hitting sport—popular with the 40 and up crowd. A recent study in the International Journal of Research found middle-aged and older adults who played one hour of pickleball three days a week for six weeks improved their blood pressure and cholesterol.
Swimming works many muscles in your body, including some of the most neglected muscles: your lats, deltoids, trapezius, and your core and lower back muscles.
Here’s an alternative to traditional exercises. Ping pong stimulates your brain, which improves motor functions, strategy functions, and the ability to attain long-term memory.
And try your skill at bowling. It can burn 240 calories an hour. In a three-game series, you will have walked six tenths of a mile, all while having fun.
And activity that moves you along but doesn’t wear down your joints is roller skating. It’s like running, but you’re causing 50% less impact on your joints. Remember, it’s not what you do, just that you do something to keep moving.
Another fun alternative to traditional exercising—dancing! With the right intensity, music, and steps a person can burn 400 calories during one hour of dancing. People with higher body mass index can lose up to two to three pounds in a week.
Time to re-think your workout.
Sources:
https://www.fitandme.com/benefits-of-yoga/
https://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/benefits-of-swimming
https://www.silversneakers.com/blog/pickleball-health-benefits/
https://healthtalk.unchealthcare.org/health-benefits-of-gardening/
Contributor(s) to this news report include: Addlyn Teague, Producer; Bob Walko, Videographer and Editor.
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