physical activity Archives - The Health Sessions

Functional Fitness: How to Train for Everyday Life

Most of us work out with a specific motivation in mind. Maybe you want to get back in shape, build more muscle or become a better runner. Improving your overall fitness is often just a nice byproduct. But what if training for real-life situations is your main reason for exercising?

Functional fitness is a term used for full-body workouts, during which you don’t train isolated muscle groups but move your body the way you use it in daily life. Instead of bench-pressing or jumping on the cross-trainer, you train your body to do everyday activities more easily and efficiently.

Functional fitness is also the word that best describes my view on exercising with chronic illness – namely focusing on those areas of fitness that improve your health and quality of life the most. Running on the treadmill obviously boosts your fitness, but it may not be the best choice if what you want most is to be able to carry your toddler or sit behind your desk without debilitating back pain.

You probably don’t live to exercise, but exercise to live a full life.

6 Exercises for Chronic Health Conditions

This article was written by Joshua from Detox Organics.

Living with chronic health conditions comes with a lot of troubles, as you often feel pain while doing simple tasks that never have been an issue. No matter if you’re suffering from arthritis, COPD or Crohn’s disease, you’re always on the lookout for ways to get better. In the case of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), people often try to figure out how to get rid of bloating, because that’s one of the main reasons for their discomfort.

One other remedy to the constant pain that’s hardly talked about is exercise. Sure, it can be challenging to exercise with chronic pain. You may feel easily exhausted and experience a lot of discomfort. On the other hand, inactivity can also weaken the muscles and joints over time, which is why it is encouraged to exercise often to regain strength and increase energy.

The Benefits of Using a Treadmill: Is it Worth It?

This article is written by Melissa Hamler from Access Health.

Many of us struggle to get the right amount of exercise into our busy days, often finding it too difficult to afford the gym and make the time to go there. So how can you make it easier and more convenient to get your daily workout in? Consider purchasing a quality treadmill for your home!

Brisk walking and jogging are great for our health, allowing us to reach the daily target of 20-30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity that we should be aiming for. A treadmill allows for this to be possible from the comfort of your own home, all while only requiring a one-time investment.

How You Can Gradually Build Your Fitness with Cycling

This is a guest post by Sophie Elise from bestbikesforwomen.com.

Are you tired of being out of shape and want to gain your fitness back?

If your answer is yes, then you need to find a workout that fits your lifestyle. But there are thousands of workouts that can help you to achieve your goals. So, which one should you choose?

I would suggest cycling because it’s a fun and entertaining activity. If you are trying to improve your fitness level, then cycling is an ideal form of exercise for you. Because it will help to build your fitness gradually and the fact that it is an immensely enjoyable activity makes it more alluring. Furthermore, cycling also helps us to build our muscle and develop a toned body.

Below I am going to show you exactly how you can build your fitness gradually with bicycling.

7 Best Tips to Use Massage Therapy as a Source of Injury Prevention

This is a guest post by Stacey Connor from Foot Massager Advisor.

Massage therapy has long been seen as an effective means to assist people who were suffering from some kind of injury, no matter what kind of injury they have. Even those who have had broken bones find that massage therapy can be beneficial in assisting them so that they can have stronger more durable muscles that are able to assist in the strengthening of the bone.

It is clear that massage therapy can have tremendous benefits for those who have already suffered an injury. But you may be unaware of the fact that it can be as equally helpful in preventing injuries from occurring at all. In fact, even if you are a fitness geek, you may find that by visiting a massage therapist on a regular basis you may prevent injuries from ever having a chance to occur.

Here are seven tips you should know about using massage therapy as a source of injury prevention.