Fitness Hacks - A Physically Active Life will Improve your Health

Fitness & Exercise

Physical Activity is essential for health and well-being

Exercise for Optimal Health

We all know that physical activity is good for our health and general well-being. Research has shown over and over again the importance of exercise for both physical and mental health. An increase in physical fitness will reduce the risk of premature death according to a narrative preview made by Darren E.R. et al. Physical activity can also improve your brain health, reduce the risk of getting diseases and help you manage weight. In other words, fitness is essential if you want to live your best life and stay healthy.

For optimal health and longevity, there are many parameters you can improve by exercising and being physically active on a regular basis. The good thing is that even if you are not being physical active today, the smallest changes will make a big impact on your overall health. You don’t have to start by running 10K. Instead, you can begin by taking daily power walks. According to Dr. Valter Longo, director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, a fast walk of one hour every day is a good way to maximize health and longevity.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or have been training regularly for years, we’re here to encourage and cheer you on along the way! Hopefully our fitness hacks and experiences can be helpful for you on your health journey!

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Strength training

As we are getting older our muscle mass decreases. That's why it's important with strength training as it both strengthens our muscles and our bones. Strength training can also boost your resting metabolic rate and support your mental well-being.

A daily power walk

One hour power walk will do wonders for your health and weight. We always do our power walk in the morning on an empty stomach. Make sure to walk your 10,000 steps daily to optimize health. Walking is gentle on the body and something most people are able to do.

Zone 2 training

According to scientists, Zone 2 training can improve longevity and endurance. In Zone 2 training, you should go on 60-70% percentage of your max heart rate. This will improve your mitochondrial fitness and metabolic flexibility.

Aim for Daily Exercise with 10,000 steps

We promote daily exercise because our bodies are made for movement and activity. For millions of years, the human species survived as hunter-gatherers. Agriculture was not invented until about 12,000 years ago, but still people had to be much more active then in our industrial society. Never before in human history have we been able to afford to be so comfortable as we are today.

When the “10,000 steps idea” came, there was no science to back it up. 10,000 is still not a magical number when it comes to how many steps you should take each day. Although, new research published in Lancet Public Health found “an incremental reduction in the risk of death for each successively higher quartile of average daily steps.” Another study, published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology found that 8,000 steps per day is enough to significantly reduce the risk of premature death and improve health and longevity. Even if 8,000 is enough, we aim for 10,000 steps per day here at Hacks4wellness.com.

The best part with this daily exercise is that it’s available to anyone. As long as you have the ability to walk, you can reach 10,000 steps every day. It doesn’t even have to be time consuming as you can change small habits in your everyday life to reach the goal. For example, you can take the stairs at work instead of taking the elevator. You can get off the bus one station earlier and walk the last bit.

If you want to go for the intermediate or advance level, you can do like we do. We power walk between 45-60 minutes every morning. This gives us the perfect start of the day. As we do it on an empty stomach, we also work on our metabolic flexibility at the same time. if you are struggling to lose weight, this might just do the trick. Especially if you combine it with a daily 16:8 fasting.

Important Body Features for Healthy Aging & Well-being

Fitness and exercising is so much more than just going to the gym. As we are getting older it’s not just important to be strong and persistent. Other factors start to get extra important, such as balance, posture and grip strength. Below, you can read more about each of these areas and learn how to improve these body features for a longer and more healthier life.

Balance

An important key to healthy aging is mobility. That’s why it’s so important to practice balance. In a new studie, researchers found that standing on one foot for 10 seconds later in life may indicate longevity. Conversely, an inability to do so is linked to a doubled risk of death from any cause within the next 10 years.

Check for balance exercises online to get started with your balance practice and add healthy years to your life. One way to practice balance and to help prevent falls when we get older, is to stand on one leg. Another balance training is heel-to-toe walk. You can also practice yoga and pilates to improve your overall balance.

Posture

Poor posture over time can lead to kyphosis (slumped posture). Japanese researchers have found that people with kyphosis have a higher mortality rate. So, not only does a poor posture lead to an impact on quality of life, but also on life expectancy.

As posture is vital to our overall health it’s important that we correct a bad posture while we can. There are many exercises that you can do to improve your posture. For examples, yoga poses like child’s pose and forward fold is good for your posture. There are also some gym exercises that is helpful for your posture. Examples are seated low row and lat hang.

Grip strength

According to many studies, there is a strong association between a weak grip strength and faster aging. This means that your grip strength can indicate whether you are in good health and strong or not. If you’re aiming for longevity, this is an important factor to keep track of.

There are many ways to improve your grip strength. For example you can use a crush gripper to get a strong grip. You can also practice extension to further improve your grip strength. Another way is to pinch stuff with your hand. These are simple practices that you simply can fit in in your everyday life.

Improve your Fitness with Strength Training

Strength training and resistance training should be included in your weekly exercise routine if you want to stay strong and healthy. It’s also a good way to improve your overall fitness. Strength training will not only make you look good. It will also improve your muscle strength which in the long run is very important if you want to avoid damage to your joints. Resistance training and training with weights is good for everyone, but it is actually even more beneficial for women. A larger study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has found that women make greater gains than men in reduced risk of all-cause cardiovascular mortality from the same amount of physical activity. The same study also highlight that a combination between weight training and aerobic activity is a powerful medicine.

Strength training becomes extra important as we are getting older. Somewhere in our 30s and 40s, we gradually begin to lose muscle mass and strength. Age-related progressive loss of muscle mass is simply caused by the natural aging process. But there are things to do to slow down the decline of strength. Scientists believe that maintaining an active lifestyle can help maintain strength and mobility later in life. Resistance training is a big factor in this as it can increase muscle strength while improving the neuromuscular system. Some experts even say that sarcopenia (muscle loss due to aging) can be reversed by an adjustment in activity level and diet.

There are many benefits of strength training such as helping you get stronger. It can also boost your mood, improve your sleep, improve your heart rate, increase your metabolism and give you better posture. The list of benefits goes on. If you haven’t started with your resistance training yet, we recommend you to do so. It doesn’t need to be complicated and it doesn’t require a gym membership card. If you buy some free weights and a resistance band, you can do it in the comfort of your own home. Just check out YouTube for inspiration and some tips on simple exercises to get you started.

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Read our Posts about Fitness and Exercise

If you are interested in reading more about what we have to say about fitness, physical activity and training, you can read more in our posts. In these posts, we also catch up on the latest research on the relationship between longevity and physical activity. By continually checking in our blog, you’ll stay up to date with the latest health hacks connected to physical activity and fitness.

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Zone 2 Training for Longevity

If you are not doing any Zone 2 training yet, you should start. At least if you aim for longevity and endurance. Zone 2 training, also known as low heart rate training, is a great way to improve metabolic health and performance without stressing your body to the point of injury. It is a training practiced by both elite athletes and non-athletes who want to optimize their performance.

Exercising in Zone will improve your mitochondrial function and your mitochondrial health. This is an important mediator for your cellular function and contribute to an overall better health. The mitochondrial is often called “the powerhouse of our cells”.

Zone 2 training can be done in several ways. For example, you can run, swim or cycle. It’s “light” training where your body burns fat for energy. This in opposite to hard training like Zone 4 training where the body burn glucose for energy. Another different between light and hard training is that when you practice Zone 2 training, the body doesn’t need to build up lactic acid. Also, you got all the oxygen you need in your body.

There are many benefits with aerobic training like Zone 2 training. For example, it can improve your lower resting heart rate, insulin resistance and the ability to train longer. It can also improve your performance in Zone 4 and 5. It is one of the reasons why elite athletes do this training.

How do you know when your in Zone 2? Well, our best recommendation is to use a suitable health gadget, like an activity watch. If you know your maximum heart rate, you can also calculate your Zone 2. In Zone 2, your heart rate should be around 65-75% of your maximum heart rate. A rule of thumb when you are out running, is that you should be able to speak while you run. If you’re not able to do that, you are probably in a higher zone than you should be.

Don’t Underestimate Everyday Activity

Even if we promote physical activities like Strength training, Zone 2 training and Power Walking, we don’t want you to underestimate the value of other everyday activities. There are small things that you in your everyday life, that can make a big difference to your health. Consider how an hour of exercise constitutes only a small fraction of your day. To be more active during the other hours of the day will help you build an even better physical fitness. Read our Biohacking Starter Guide to learn how to easily implement physical activity in your everyday lfie.

One easy way to get more activity in to your everyday life is to take the stairs instead of the elevator. Climbing stairs improves balance, builds muscle strength and contribute to healthier bones. Another way is to regularly change position when you work. Garden work is a great way to get more of this activity.

Activities like the ones described are also called NEAT. NEAT stands for Non-exercise activity thermogenesis and this is the energy we spend that’s not eating, sleeping or actively exercising. This kind of activity stands for 15-30% of your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). NEAT can seem like trivial physical activities but as they are such a big part of your daily energy expenditure, they can make a big difference. There are great health gadgets like the Oura Ring that keeps track of your activity level during the day.

In wealthy and industrial parts of the world there is a decrease in NEAT. Maybe due to the fact that we spend most of our time sitting on a chair or laying in a sofa. Most of us no longer have to do manual labor to survive. Instead we are living comfortable lives without physical exertion. This surely has an effect on our health and energy consumtion.

FAQ

What is fitness?

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) there are five components of physical fitness. These components are cardiorespiratory fitness, musculoskeletal fitness, flexibility, balance and speed.

What exercise burns most calories?

Running is the exercise that burns the most calories. Although, not all people can run for a longer time. In that case walking is better, since it’s something that most people can do for an hour or more straight.

How often should I work out?

It depends on what goal you have with your exercise. Start by setting up a realistic goal that’s sustainable. After that, you can figure out how often you need to work out to achieve that goal. Most experts within the fitness area promote working out at least 150 minutes or three times a week.

Should I use a fitness tracker?

A fitness tracker like an activity watch can be a great way to track your progress. With an activity watch you can track your steps, your different activities, your heart rate and overall data around your fitness.

How do I stay motivated?

Motivation comes and goes. You cannot really rely on motivation when it comes to fitness and physical activity. Discipline is a better key when it comes to exercising. This and setting desirable goals will keep you going even when motivation fails on you.

When will I see results from my training?

Usually people see results from their training in the first four to six weeks of exercising. Better mood and more energy can come even earlier then so. If you are looking for longer-term improvements, these can usually be seen within 8-12 weeks.

Exercise for Mental Health

If you think that exercise is only about losing weight, building muscles and improving your physical condition, you are wrong. Exercise is also a real medicinal injection for your mental health. There is a strong relationship between physical activity and improved mental well-being. According to a scientific review published in Cureus, physical activity can even improve various psychiatric disorders. Scientific studies have also shown that people who exercise on a regular basis have lower rates of mental illness and better emotional wellbeing.

Our hormones are affected when we exercise and are physically active. For example our insulin sensitivity is improved by regular exercise. Physical activity can even lower your blood glucose up to 24 hours after you have exercised. An improved insulin sensitivity can reduce the risk for diseases such as diabetes. When it comes to hormones that are connected to our mental health, exercise reduces our levels of adrenaline and cortisol. These are our body’s stress hormones.

Physical activity and exercise also stimulate our body’s production of endorphins. Endorphins are hormones that help us reduce stress, improve our mood and relieve pain. When this hormone is released during exercise, it can help reduce symptoms of depression. Some research even suggests that physical activity can be as effective as antidepressants! Endorphins can also make you feel better about yourself as it increases your confidence.

In the long-term, exercise can even change your brain. Regular exercise rewires the reward system in our brain resulting in increased circulating levels of dopamine and a greater availability of dopamine receptors.

Fitness & Exercise

Physical Activity is essential for health and well-being

Exercise for Optimal Health