April Is Move More Month: How A Sedentary Lifestyle Affects Your Health

How Physical Inactivity Affects Your Overall Health

Exercise helps strengthen your heart so it can pump blood to your body more efficiently. If your heart is fit, it doesn’t have to work as hard to pump blood, and the force through your arteries decreases. However, if you are physically inactive, it is much easier for you to develop fatty deposits in your arteries that will lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and heart attacks. Not only does being physically inactive lead to heart problems, as you get older, but your muscles will also become weaker much faster which will ultimately inhibit you from being able to perform your daily tasks such as driving or even walking comfortably. Limiting your movements can weaken muscles, lead to joint troubles, and affect your posture, setting off a cascade of further problems. 

Why Should You Be More Active

The heart is a muscle, and like any other muscle, it needs physical activity to help it function properly and become stronger. When you are active, your lungs also do a better job of getting oxygen into your blood so it can be pumped to all of your tissues and cells in your body. Regular physical activity will:

• Help control your blood pressure and maintain it at a healthy level
• Reduce bad cholesterol levels
• Help control your blood sugar levels, reducing your risk of Type 2 diabetes
• Increase the number of calories you burn to help you maintain a healthy weight 

Not only does exercising help your heart, but it will also improve your overall well-being by improving your mental health, it will help you sleep better at night, and it will help boost your overall confidence as you will be working towards achieving your ideal weight so you can look and feel your best. 

How Active You Need To Be

To protect yourself against heart disease and other health problems, you must be active every day. This does not mean you have to train in the gym for three hours each day or take up a new sport. You can be active by going for a thirty-minute walk after dinner, mowing the lawn, or vacuuming. Any kind of activity is better than none. Also, try to break up long periods of inactivity when you are sitting at your desk or watching TV to get your body moving a little bit. If you are looking to take your health and fitness more seriously, you can also hire a personal trainer. They will be able to give you expert tips and tricks on how to effectively reach your weight loss goals and improve your health to help you look and feel strong. Personal trainers are a great source of motivation because they will hold you accountable for showing up to the gym for every workout session to help you stay on track while educating you about proper nutrition to help you see optimal results.

Get Moving Today With The Help Of A Calgary Personal Trainer

We can all agree that smoking cigarettes, drinking too much, and eating fast food every day are poor health choices. What is surprising though is that doing nothing at all, not even moving a muscle, can be just as detrimental to your overall health. Physical activity is an essential part of living a long, healthy life in addition to a nutritious diet. It is okay to give in and stop at a drive-thru every once in a while or sit on the couch after a long day as long as you are balancing it with regular physical activity. Take baby steps at first. Physical activity does not always have to be vigorous. Just stand up and move your muscles. 

At Jensen Fitness, our personal training, fitness coaching, and weight loss programs will provide you with all of the support you need to achieve your personal goals while helping you sustain your new healthy habits for the long term and improve your overall health. To start your weight loss or fitness journey, contact our team of personal trainers in SE Calgary by calling 1-403-200-0199 or by filling out our online contact form.

FAQ

Q: When will I see results after consistent exercise? 
A: With consistent exercise and a healthy diet, you will notice improvements in your appearance, your fitness, and how you feel overall within 12 weeks. Everyone is different and some people may have more dramatic results after 12 weeks than others.

Q: Can a personal trainer help me with my nutrition?
A: Yes, a personal trainer will be able to give you some tips and tricks when it comes to food habits to help you see better results in the gym. Unless your personal trainer has a nutritional certification, they will not be able to come up with meal plans for you and can only recommend certain food you should be eating. 

Q: How many times should I exercise per week?
A: It is recommended that everyone gets at least 30 minutes of exercise per day, however, if you are embarking on your fitness or weight loss journey, you should be going into the gym at least three times per week.