I’m sure you’ve heard your share of various health and fitness tips from family, friends, or your trainer. There are many floating around that are useful while on the flip side many of them are not. The following is a short list Jefit has put together for you that are hopefully useful and many of which are backed by science.
A Few Proven Health and Fitness Tips
Get More Sleep
Getting sufficient, uninterrupted sleep, may be just as important as diet and exercise. Simply because when you’re not sleeping well, it’s difficult to push yourself in a workout let alone exercise at all. Also, when you’re not sleeping well over a period of time, your diet can suffer, you can thank your hormonal system for that one. Poor sleep can drive insulin resistance, throw your appetite hormones out of whack while along reducing both your physical and mental performance. One study showed an (chronic) insufficient amount sleep was linked to an 89 percent increased risk of obesity in children, and 55 percent in adults.
Get Stronger
One of the best things you can do now, and as you continue to age, is strength training. There are so many positive associations that come with getting and keeping strong. You really have to itch your head why more people don’t do it. In my opinion, strength training is like the fountain of youth. According to research, individuals who did not strength train lose 5 to 8 pounds of muscle each decade. The loss of muscle mass becomes more pronounced as you grow older. By the time a person hits 70 years old, they can expect to lose 40 percent of their muscle mass, if they don’t exercise. As a direct result, as much as 30 percent of strength can be lost. Do yourself a favor today, join a gym and start lifting some weights if you’re not already doing so.
Incorporate More Daily Activity
On top of your weekly visits to the gym or yoga studio, get outside for some long walks or a hike. It is apparent from all the walking research that even short distances (5 miles a week) at slow speeds (2 mph) can be impactful in terms of health benefits. There is a reason why Hippocrates, said a log time ago, “Walking is a man’s best medicine.” Sedentary individuals walk only 1,000 to 3,000 steps a day while the average American clocks in at 5,900 steps a day. The CDC has always reported, though, to do 150-minutes of moderate exercise each week. This equates to about 7,000 to 8,000 steps a day. You also have the option of doing 75-minutes of vigorous exercise a week instead of 150-minutes of moderate exercise.
Get Leaner
Obesity is associated with many risk factors. It is important to reduce body fat levels while building and maintaining muscle with your strength training routine.
It may come down to changing the way you eat coupled with more exercise, that ultimately drives getting leaner. A 2018 study published in JAMA found after one-year, subjects lost significant amounts of weight when focusing on food quality not calories. An interesting point was how subjects focused on eating specifically whole or “real” foods. When they did, they ate as much as they needed to avoid feeling hungry. A key take away was people who reduced their added sugar, refined grains and highly processed foods, lost significant amounts weight over the course of a year. They focused on eating plenty of vegetables and whole foods, without counting calories or limiting portion sizes. Good luck!
References
K, Spiegel et al., Impact of sleep debt on metabolic and endocrine function (1999). Lancet, 354 (9188):1435-9. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(99)01376-8.
Cappuccio, F. et al., Meta-Analysis of Short Sleep Duration and Obesity in Children and Adults (2008). Sleep, 31(5): 619–626.
Stay Strong Together
The Jefit app comes equipped with an advanced customizable workout planner and training log. In addition, the app has ability to track data, offer audio cues, and has a feature to share workouts with friends. Take advantage of Jefit’s exercise database for your strength workouts. Visit our members-only Facebook group. Connect with like-minded people, share tips, and advice to help get closer to reaching your fitness goals. Try one of the new interval-based workouts and add it to your weekly training schedule.
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