Up your exercise game this season

If a stroll from the parking lot into work or the grocery store is the main activity you’re getting, you’re likely not active enough. With the busy holiday season and colder weather, it can be hard to up your exercise game. However, being active and eating well are some of the best ways to stay healthy as you head into the new year.

Read on for why regular exercise is so helpful, plus simple tips to add more movement into your day.

Why exercise?

Regular exercise is one of the foundations of a healthy lifestyle. It helps control body weight and protects against a variety of diseases. Exercise also helps lower blood pressure and improve overall health.

By boosting circulation, exercise may even help improve your body’s immune system. So, moving more may help your natural ability to fight off illness.

Other benefits of regular exercise may include:
Greater focus and mental clarity
Stress reduction
Reduced feelings of depression and anxiety
Better sleep
Reduced risk of falls and slower loss of bone density as you age
Lower risk of type 2 diabetes and certain cancers

What kind of exercise should I do, and how much?

So exactly how much movement is needed to reap these benefits? Here are some recommendations for healthy adults. Before you start any exercise routine, always talk to your doctor to make sure it’s safe.

Aerobic or “cardio” activities

“Cardio” activities get your body moving and your heart pumping, and strengthens your cardiovascular system.

How often?

Aim to do these types of activities most days of the week:

150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic exercise
Or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise
Or a combination of both
150 minutes may sound like a lot. When you break it down over a week, though, it could look like 30 minutes of walking for five days of the week.

What counts as aerobic activity?

Examples of moderate aerobic activities include:

Brisk walking
Dancing
Water aerobics
Active yoga

While vigorous aerobic exercises include:

Running
Swimming laps
Climbing the stairs
Shoveling your driveway with a shovel instead of a snowblower

Strength exercises

It’s also important to perform strength exercises for all major muscle groups—ideally at least two times a week. Aim to do a single set of each exercise. Use a weight or resistance level heavy enough to tire your muscles after about 12-15 repetitions.

Strength training can be done with:

Weight machines
Using your own body weight (pushups and squats, for example)
Resistance bands
Resistance paddles in the water (or a rowing machine)

“But what if I’m not an ‘exercise person’?”

All this training sounds well and good, but if you’re not as active as you would like to be, it can be daunting. The key is committing to movement and increasing it over time. Start with a short-range plan, such as 20-30 minutes three to four days per week. A reasonable longer-term goal is to aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day.

Make movement part of your daily routine as much as you can by starting with something you enjoy, like:

Dancing
Playing a sport
Listening to podcasts on a stationary bike
Walking in place while you’re watching your favorite show

You don’t have to run marathons or bulk up like a bodybuilder to reap the benefits of exercise. Think creatively about what type of exercise or environment you enjoy most.

More simple ways you can add activity into your day include:

Stand up to take phone calls
Stretch at your desk
Take the stairs instead of the elevator
Use your lunch break to take a brisk walk
If it’s warm enough outside, ride your bike to work
Walk to your coworkers to ask questions instead of emailing them
Make active plans with friends, like golf or tennis
Play with your pets or kids (they need the exercise too!)
Plan family weekend activities like bowling, bike rides or hikes instead of movie or dining events

Park your car as far as possible from the entrances of work and stores

How can I stick with exercise once I start?

Team up with a buddy who can help keep you accountable. Track your progress on paper or through a fitness app to see how much you’re improving. Before long, you’ll notice the benefits of increased physical activity, which can motivate you to keep going.

This is general health information and not medical advice or services. You should consult your doctor for medical advice or services, including seeking advice prior to undertaking a new diet or exercise program.

The article is brought to you by our partner in health, Teladoc.This portion of the Teladoc website occasionally offers health, fitness, and nutritional information and is provided for educational purposes only. You cannot rely on any information provided here as a substitute for or replacement of professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Teladoc cannot assure that the information contained on this site always includes the most recent findings or developments with respect to the particular subject matter covered.

If you ever have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical- or health-related advice from your healthcare professional because of something you may have read on this site. The use of any information provided on this site is solely at your own risk.

If you are in the United States and think you are having a medical or health emergency, call your healthcare professional, or 911, immediately.

Teladoc Health (2021, November). Up your exercise game this seasonhttps://www.teladoc.com/health-talk/up-your-exercise-game-this-season/