Health and Fitness

 Health and fitness is much more than working out at the gym. It's about being able to climb the stairs or run around the backyard with the kids without getting tired.

Make sure to pick activities you enjoy. This will help keep you motivated. Walk, cycle and jog, but also consider dancing, group exercise classes and even hiking as ways to get your cardio workout in.

Exercise

Exercise helps you maintain your physical fitness and reduces the risk of many chronic (long-term) diseases. It also boosts your mood and increases energy. Regular exercise can also help preserve cognitive function and prevent dementia.

Aerobic exercises, such as brisk walking, swimming and dancing, are sometimes called "cardio" because they increase your heart rate. These types of activities improve your cardiovascular system by strengthening the heart muscle and lungs.

Muscle-strengthening activities, which are also known as resistance or strength training, increase bone density and may slow the onset of osteoporosis. Gradually increasing the amount of weight lifted or number of days you exercise can build muscle strength over time.

Having a workout buddy, using a health and fitness tracker or making exercise fun can help you stay motivated to meet your activity goals. In addition, it's important to vary your activities over time to avoid boredom and injuries. For example, you can try a new group fitness class or hiking trail every few weeks.

Sleep

Getting an adequate amount of sleep is just as important for good health as exercise, eating well and staying hydrated. Insufficient sleep can raise the risk of chronic (long-term) health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and depression.

While it might not be on the top of most athletes’ lists of ways to improve performance, sleep is a vital component of workouts. Research has shown that when people don’t get enough rest, they may tire out faster, have difficulty concentrating and experience more injuries.

During the night, most of the body’s systems become less active, including the brain. The brain uses this time to conserve energy and stock up on resources. It also helps the immune system fight off infections. During sleep, your muscles also undergo a repair process to reduce the effects of wear and tear. This makes it especially important to get enough rest if you exercise regularly.

Stress Management

Stress is a natural and normal part of life, but too much can have negative health effects. Those include high blood pressure, obesity, depression and anxiety, sleep problems, headaches and weakening of the immune system.

Managing stress starts with identifying what causes it. It can be something big like a move, job change or divorce, but it can also be the small things that add up over time such as being tired all the time, not having enough energy, or feeling overwhelmed by daily tasks.

Exercise is a powerful tool to help manage stress because nearly any form of physical activity can provide a mood boost and reduce feelings of anxiety. However, a client with severe or chronic stress may need other strategies to address their situation and reduce the effect of stress on the body such as talk therapy.

BetterHelp is an online service that matches people with therapists who can help them cope with stress and anxiety. You can take a free stress assessment and get matched with a therapist in as little as 48 hours.