physical activity | The Health Sessions

4 Simple Ways to Make Exercise a Habit

This article is written by Veronika William

You find yourself out of breath after climbing the stairs, again. “Enough is enough,” you declare. You march into your local fitness center and sign up for a membership. Perhaps a pal in the same boat joins you. After all, if you have a workout partner, your chances of sticking with the program drastically increase.

For the first few sessions, you’re unstoppable. A week later, one of you can’t make it. “No problem,” you insist. By the end of the month, you haven’t swiped your membership card in more days than you’re comfortable admitting. By the next month, your gym bag is dusty and you’re five pounds heavier.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. A healthy lifestyle cannot be achieved overnight. It takes some degree of effort to make it a routine. For most of us, starting a new workout regimen is easy. Sticking with it, however, often seems next to impossible. Good news: it’s not.

If you’ve repeatedly tried–and subsequently failed–to move your body on a regular basis, consider these 4 tips to turn exercise into a habit.

6 Psychological Benefits Of Dancing

This article is written by Kristin Herman.

If you’re suffering from chronic health problems, you might not have considered dance as a way to get ahead of these issues. In truth, dancing can do much more than just keep you active, when it can also give you psychological benefits.

While the neuroscience of dance is relatively new in the field of research, there’s no denying that in recent months that a variety of studies, as well as an article-based dissertation on the neuroscience of dance, are being published and brought more into light. With their amazing findings, we can have a better understanding of why we dance, and how dancing can change the human brain for the better.

With that said, here are 6 ways that dancing can benefit you psychologically.

The Surprising Benefits of Gardening for Your Wellbeing

This article is written by Tristan from Sydney Gardeners.

Gardening brings with it a host of benefits both for your physical and mental health. The benefits compound on top of each other, as well as with time. It’s how my best habits replaced my worst habits, without even realising it.

Actively Autoimmune: How Zoe Uses Exercise to Manage Multiple Chronic Conditions

What’s it really like to live with chronic health problems every day? How do you deal with the physical symptoms, emotional turmoil and practical problems? In this interview series, real life ‘spoonies’ share their experiences and tips. Zoe is a 28-year old physiotherapist from England who lives with multiple chronic illnesses. On Actively Autoimmune, she shares … Read more >

A Simple Guide to Hip Flexibility Exercises

This article is written by dr. Kristina DeMatas from Sporty Doctor. The hip flexors are a group of muscles around the top of your thighs that connect the upper leg to the hip. This muscle group allows you to bend at the waist and raise your leg to your chest. Some of the main hip flexor … Read more >