August 15th, 2007 in Featured, Lifestyle

The Secret to a Healthy Body

The secret to a healthy body is simple and actually not too difficult, but all the same it does take daily discipline. In addition, it doesn’t need to cost you a lot of money. There are five areas of focus that will keep your body in shape, healthy, flexible, and strong. This article will outline the 5 areas to work on and will include a sample weekly workout regimen that you can start using today.

1. Aerobic Exercise. The simplest way to meet this need is walking. Walking is the one of the best exercises for your body. The wear and tear on your joints is lower than jogging. Be sure to start off slower to warm up and increase speed slowly after about 3-5 minutes. To increase the intensity, simply lengthen your stride a bit and speed up your pace. The other strategy for increasing intensity is to increase your speed for short bursts of time. (see workout below) If you prefer, jogging is also good if it doesn’t bother your knees. Just know that walking is just as good if you go fast enough. No big investment needed. All you need is your sneakers, and maybe not even that if you walk on the beach. 30 minutes per day every day has been shown to be the optimal amount of exercise. If you don’t have time all at once, the same benefits are derived even if you break it up into 3 X 10 minute or 2 X 15 minute sessions.

2. Stretching. An important age marker is your level of flexibility. Yoga is a terrific way to keep your body flexible. If you don’t have time for a full yoga session, try to make sure you do 5 minutes of stretching each day after your aerobic exercise. To ensure you get most areas of your body, try a sun salutation, some seated twists, and a hip opener.

3. Balancing. Balance, along with flexibility, is something that we lose with age. Practice this a little bit every day and you’ll be less likely to lose it. Yoga, again, is another great way to build and maintain balance. There are several yoga poses you could use to increase balance. Try one each day. A simple one you can do is to stand on one leg and grab the foot of the other leg to stretch the hamstring in the front of the thigh. As you build your balance over time try to touch your toes with your other hand while maintaining balance. It is helpful to keep your eyes focused on one point. Do this for 15-60 seconds on each leg.

4. Strength Building. You can certainly join a gym and lift weights. But another less expensive option, which is just as good, is simply using the weight of your own body for resistance. The easiest way to do this is to do an hour of yoga a few times per week. A yoga class is great, but to save money, I recommend buying a few different yoga tapes and rotate them. Check out tapes from your local library first to see if you like them before buying, or go to Amazon and check out the reviews to find ones that are highly rated. If you don’t want to do yoga, you can do pilates or try the free online workout regimen prescribed by Dr. Roizen and Dr. Oz of “YOU: The Owner’s Manual.”

5. Deep Breathing. This is very important and here’s why. Your lymph system relies on the contraction of muscles and breathing to move the fluids of the lymph system around the body. Why is this so important? The lymph system “has three interrelated functions: (1) removal of excess fluids from body tissues, (2) absorption of fatty acids and subsequent transport of fat, as chyle, to the circulatory system and, (3) production of immune cells.” So, how do you get your daily dose? Aerobic exercise, yoga, and/or try The Deep Breathing Exercise 2-3 times per day. Here’s how:

Empty your lungs completely by pulling in your stomach while you exhale.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold for twice as long as it took to breathe it in.
Exhale for 4 times as long as it took to breath it in.
Do this 10 times.
Enjoy the rejuvenation!

Weekly Exercise Regimen

Monday

Deep Breathing Exercise (Morning, Afternoon, Evening).
30 minutes Walking at brisk pace.
5-10 minutes stretching.
One balance pose.

Tuesday

Deep Breathing Exercise (M,A,E).
45-60 minutes Yoga.

Wednesday

Deep Breathing Exercise (M,A,E).
30 minutes walking with alternating 3 minute power bursts/3 minute moderate pace.
5-10 minutes stretching.
One balance pose.

Thursday

Deep Breathing Exercise (M,A,E).
30-60 minutes Pilates.

Friday

Deep Breathing Exercise (M,A,E).
30 minutes walking.
5-10 minutes stretching.
One balance pose.

Saturday

Deep Breathing Exercise (M,A,E).
30 minutes walking.
20 minutes strength training.
5-10 minutes stretching.
One balance pose.

Sunday

Deep Breathing Exercise (M,A,E).
45-60 minutes Yoga.

Do you have tips for keeping your body healthy? What’s your weekly regimen? Please share in the comments!

K. Stone is author of Life Learning Today, a blog about daily life improvements. A few of her most popular articles are Ultimate Goal Setting Guide, So You Want to Be a Writer, Should You Start Your Own Work at Home Business?, and Top 10 Yoga Videos + Bonus Pilates Too.

KStone

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Wade says on August 15th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Go to http://www.yogatoday for free yoga video each day. The three instructors are great and each has a different focus and background. The sessions last about an hour but even if you do the beginning warm ups you’ll be getting all the stretching benefit described above. I’ve been doing their videos for about a year.
The downloads are about 400mb and available in Quicktime or Windows Media.
Jon Peltier says on August 15th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
The hamstrings are on the back of the thigh. The stretch you describe is for the quadriceps in the front of the thigh.
tim says on August 15th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
forgot one INCREDIBLY important thing to your health.
Your teeth, honestly if your teeth and gums are not in top shape your body is suffering.
make sure your teeth are in very good shape, if not then get off your butt and get them that way. Tooth problems cause you to not feel 100% and or cause other issues in your sinuses that will cause other issues along the way.
Most people still do not take care of their teeth as well as they should.
Steven says on August 15th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
I don’t normally like to advertise my own software like this, but since the software is free and for personal use only I thought I’d mention my software “Deep Breathing”, available here. You can set the tempo and how many beats to breath in and out for as well as what sound to use to mark the breathe in and breathe out. I’ve found it useful while working as well as originally wrote it because I heard deep slow breathing helps with high blood pressure. I’ve found deep breathing very healthy.
Matt says on August 15th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
How about eating? Eating is by far the action that most affects your health, you can do all these things but if you eat candy only, you will never be healthy.
william says on August 15th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
Great list, but you’re missing the most important item. Your body has to be toxic free.
1) Eat only whole organic foods
2) No prescription medicine
3) No tap water (fluoride and chlorine are poisons)
Good luck!
KStone says on August 15th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
@Wade – thanks for that link.
@Jon – thanks for pointing that out. That was a complete brain hiccup! That’s what I get for trying to write with kids underfoot!
@Steven – looks interesting. I’ll have to check that out.
@Tim – You are so right! I’ll incorporate that into the follow-up which will cover non-exercise tips for a healthy body. Thanks!
@William – yes! What we put into our body is so important. I’ll also include this in the next follow up post that will cover the non-exercise tips.
Thanks everyone. Keep the comments coming!
Marc says on August 15th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
That’s, like, five secrets.
KStone says on August 15th, 2007 at 8:30 pm
@Marc – :) yes, indeed, 5 for the price of 1. Don’t you just love that?! :)
David says on August 15th, 2007 at 9:23 pm
I actually believe Martial Arts to be the best exercise around. Especially your more fluid ones like Kung Fu and Brazilian Jujitsu. Mix it in with some knowledge from JohnStoneFitness.com and you get a pretty nice regimen ^_^ Fitday.com lets you monitor a lot of things as well, I use it but It but I get lazy. Anyways, Kung Fu! I love it, very intense, and the energy of people around and more spiritual side if you delve it into it are very very relaxing (:
Saul says on August 15th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
I am so flexible I can suck my own balls ( and they don’t sag that much!)
Holden says on August 15th, 2007 at 10:28 pm
As a woman, the most important thing for you should be weight lifting. The idea of using your own bodyweight for resistance is nice and it’s easy and you don’t have to break a serious sweat when you’re hitting the gym in the middle of the day, but the number one problem for women who are relatively healthy entering old age is bone strength.
You strengthen bone by lifting heavy weights. You cut bodyfat by lifting heavy weights. You increase the efficacy of neuromuscular junctions and your central nervous system by lifting heavy weights. Eating only organic foods, and not taking prescription medicine (which is a pretty moronic thing to say) and breathing deep isn’t going to do you a lot of good when you reach middle/late age and you’re gaining bodyfat and rapidly losing bone density. There’s a reason a lot of old people look like they’re withering away, and it’s not because they don’t run enough or don’t “rejunvate” themselves enough or don’t do enough “core” exercises on bosu balls lifting 5 pound weights and hoping something will magically happen.
In short, dear women, old people and hypochondriacs; please ask the strength and conditioning coach who works with the athletes in your gym to teach you how to do olympic lifts, and ignore the “trainer” with a no-name certification telling you to balance on one leg for ten minutes a day. It will solve a lot of problems for you.
bodyweight exercises says on August 15th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
This is pretty cool it sounds allot like the simplefit program I have been doing
http://www.simplefit.org
Mike says on August 15th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
Great stuff if you’re a middle-aged woman. Men don’t do yoga.
KStone says on August 15th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
@David – that makes me want to check out Jujitsu! Sounds great!
@Holden – that’s a lot of food for thought! You’re so right that weight bearing exercises provide all those benefits. It sounds like you have a lot of knowledge in this area. I think weight lifting is great. At the same time, for people who are doing vigorous yoga, they are also building muscle and strengthening bones. There’s easy yoga and there’s strenuous yoga. It’s the strenuous yoga that you need for the muscle building and bone strengthening. The nice thing about yoga is that you can get many of your physical needs met (stretching for flexibility, balancing, muscle building, and deep breathing). There’s many ways to achieve these things, and I thank you for your input.
@Bodyweight – thanks for the link
@Mike – some men do yoga. I’ve actually been trying to get my Dad to try it. I’m almost there. He’s a runner so he would really benefit. If he tries it, will you? :)
Jeffrey Henderson says on August 15th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
Great article. It’s amazing what even this simple program can do for a persons health and self esteem.
Holden says on August 16th, 2007 at 1:51 am
“@Holden – that’s a lot of food for thought! You’re so right that weight bearing exercises provide all those benefits. It sounds like you have a lot of knowledge in this area. I think weight lifting is great. At the same time, for people who are doing vigorous yoga, they are also building muscle and strengthening bones.”
I’m not going to argue with the building muscle statement, because for people who are relatively sedentary doing bod yweight exercise will undoubtedly build muscle. But when you’re talking about bone strength the idea that absolutely anything involving resistance increases bone mineral density isn’t really accurate.
I know it’s a big selling point of yoga (I personally think the selling points of yoga should be the balancing of the sympathetic nervous system and the benefits to mobility, but whatever), and in a discussion based purely in hypothesis it’s true. But the rate at which you increase bone density is dependent on the impact, and you’re not going to get nearly the same impact with yoga as you would even uphill running.
To understand what I’m talking about, a typical Nautilus machine in most studies I’ve seen reported on or in PubMed doesn’t even show increases in bone density, whereas a 2x/week full body free weight program in Prescription Alternatives over a YEAR yielded an increase in bone density of ONE percent in elderly women. It’s a very small jump, and in yoga I doubt you’d seriously see it at all.
Street Workout.Com says on August 16th, 2007 at 2:07 am
I agree with an earlier poster. Bodyweight workouts are some of the most natural and challenging workouts that can be done. To see many videos displaying how you can workout your entire body at home for free, go to http://www.streetworkout.com
Paris Taylor says on August 16th, 2007 at 3:20 am
I think food should be included in this list. I have compiled a list of a large number of low fat healthy recipes at http://www.dietandfitnesstoday.com
Busy says on August 16th, 2007 at 3:24 am
I’d love to have enough free time to be able to add an hour per day of body exercices. Or should I go to bed at 2am instead?
Really a poor article. The “secret” is to exercise; OMG what a breaktrough! You spoiled it all. THANKS
HDR says on August 16th, 2007 at 6:44 am
This lady was recently the longest lived in the world, http://www.johninjapan.com/blo.....dies.html/ as the Japanese–particularly Okinawans are known to be–and they don’t have a regimental fitness program. They just have a great lifestyle.
KStone says on August 16th, 2007 at 10:36 am
@Holden – I think free weights are great. For people who want to choose yoga instead here are a few articles that give validation that it does help with bone densitiy:
http://www.yogajournal.com/health/535_1.cfm
http://www.womenfitness.net/yoga_osteo.htm
And here’s one that says what you say, that you should do weight lifting twice a week:
http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/.....php?aid=15
So for everyone out there, be sure to include both some weight lifting and some yoga! Thanks again Holden!
@Paris – thanks for that addition.
@Busy – I can sympathize. I’ve had many times in my life where fitting in exercise seemed impossible. And even today, it takes a lot of discipline to make it a priority. Wishing you all the best in finding what works for you!
@HDR – thanks for that link! I’ve read some of the “The byOkinawa Program” by Willcox and it seems that they are very active people. When you’re that active, you are exercising … all day! Thanks again!
Jeff says on August 16th, 2007 at 10:50 am
As a former personal trainer, I’m compelled to comment that much of this “information” is bunk. Unless you’re in ridiculously awful physical condition (which, of course, many Americans are) the degree of aerobic exercise mentioned here won’t do squat for you (since you’d never get your heart rate elevated to the point where it would do much good) nor will the prescribed yoga sessions work to provide adequate “strength” training (at the point at which you can lift yourown bodyweight numerous times it no longer qualifies).
Frankly yoga is many times attributed with fitness benefits it couldn’t possibly incur since it qualifies as neither aerobic nor anaerobic exercise (beyond a minimal fitness level).
As for the mention of whole organic foods, avoidance of prescription medicine, and no tap water, that’s just plain ridiculous. That stuff could only qualify (very arguably) as “icing on the cake” to the very real health and fitness pillars of good nutrition, effective exercise, adequate sleep, routine physical examinations, etc.
Slink says on August 16th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
What’s with the toxin phobia? It’s obviously important to take care with what you eat but “whole organic foods” are incorrectly seen as being toxin free. Unless you’re growing things yourself I think you’ll find that commercially cultivated organic produce has had numerous “organic” chemicals and pesticides used on them, some which actually contain more of these supposed toxins than their synthetic chemical assisted counterparts. Not using pesticides and fertilisers in large scale production just isn’t viable. And fluoride in water? That actually helps and funnily enough prescribed medicine will do a lot more for you in many cases than holistic methods ever will. New age nonsense is taken up far too easily by the misinformed.
PH Factor says on August 16th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Whoever says men don’t do yoga or that yoga does not have massive benefits is blinded by his own cultural bias.
I am a 51 year old man and I do a bit of power yoga and I can tell you it not only improves my flexibility but my back is better off for it and I see increased strength and definition in my torso, arms and legs. The breath control has improved my performance on the bicycle (my preferred form of aerobic exercise) and certainly hasn’t hurt my sex life.
I have 2 friends who are hard-core vegetarians and yoga nuts. They are the 2 most ripped guys I’ve ever seen.
Try balancing on one arm and one leg for 5 minutes, or sit in a deep squat for a few minutes and tell me that doesn’t work you out. I’ve seen some pretty fit young men slink out of the yoga room halfway through the class cause they couldn’t hack it.
As a side benefit I’m usually one of the few males in a class full of scantily clad, very fit young ladies, so if the workout doesn’t get my heart rate up, the view does.
KStone says on August 16th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
@Jeff – thanks for joining the discussion. Check out some of these yoga athletes and see how powerful yoga is for staying in shape: Shiva Rea, Richard Freeman, Rodney Yee and anyone with a video on Ashtanga Yoga.
@Slink – thanks for your comments!
@PH Factor – thanks for the testimonial. Vigorous yoga is one of the hardest forms of exercise. For those who haven’t tried it yet, they might not realize that. One of these days, it will catch on more with men. Maybe the benefits you cite will make a few men reading this give it a try! Thanks again!
Apollo Lee says on August 16th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
I think I’m with Jeff. When I see something about bodyweight resistance, I’m really not expecting yet another line about yoga. There’s nothing wrong with yoga, but it isn’t the ultimate answer to everything (despite what my friends who are yoga instructors continue to insist to me).
Maybe you should have entitled the piece “Yay, yoga!”
You didn’t mention pushups or crunches in your “secret” of bodyweight resistance? Pushups are great. Think of them as plank pose, except you lower yourself with your arms and raise yourself back up! *clap* Call it Asana Semperfi or something.
Jeff runnels says on August 16th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
@KStone and PH Factor: If you’re going to dispute my argument you have to find fault with the premise or the logic. Anecdotal evidence (I know ripped guys who do yoga) is not a counter-argument. Nor is the fact that one particular exercise may be difficult.
This article only refers to Hatha Yoga, but it effectively explodes many of the perceived yoga myths.
http://www.acefitness.org/getf.....dy2005.pdf
Another yoga myth that is extremely pervasive, is that yoga is a “safe exercise.” I’d suggest you ask a physical therapist about the number and severity of yoga injuries they see on a regular basis.
For my money, yoga is typically (not always) an activity people do because they really don’t want to exercise the right way. As for me, I have done Hatha Yoga many times for the great stretches it offers. Other kinds of yoga tend to get far to flakey (e.g. silly metaphysics) for me.
One more thing, beyond a certain point, flexibility is highly over valued as a health benefit.
Brendan says on August 16th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
CrossFit.com. It’s hard, but it works.
Simplefit.com is a great gateway to CrossFit workouts.
cheap domain says on August 17th, 2007 at 1:57 am
Very good article thans but otherwise I think food should be included in this list
Sven says on August 17th, 2007 at 5:51 am
Thank you so much for this. Indeed, a serendipitous post – exactly what I’ve been looking for.
As a regular reader of your posts, I must say thank you so much for such high quality information.
Keep up the great work.
-S
online pharmacy says on August 17th, 2007 at 9:51 am
Why not just work out at the gym/home, it beats getting sweaty at work in your work clothes any day.
KStone says on August 18th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
@Sven – thank you! Glad you found it valuable.
Get Healthy, Get fit, Live Happy says on August 20th, 2007 at 11:29 pm
Aerobic exercise, is all well and nice. Works great for the cardiovascular system, and even lung capacity.
Except it does not increase muscle mass.
Anaerobic, or interval training tends to add muscle, and keeps a body’s metabolism going. Short bursts of exercise, just a couple of times will do wonders.
Eat less, exercise more.
Ceptera Information Security says on August 21st, 2007 at 10:38 pm
Great tips especially for busy entrepreneurs (like me!) focused more on their growing companies than their growing backsides.
KStone says on August 22nd, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Thanks, Get Healthy, for joining the discussion!
Ceptera, – Thanks. I hear ya on that comment! It takes discipline!
Derek Curtice says on September 5th, 2007 at 6:41 am
Thanks for contibuting to the internet with responsible exercise suggestions. http://www.simplefit.net
Okinawa says on September 14th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
Check out some of my Japan images. The Japanese know how to live, http://www.japan-images.com/ :)
Carla says on January 1st, 2008 at 12:45 am
Excellent advice. Find complimentary information at http://www.OneHealthyGirl.com
xo-C.
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Diana Rupert says on November 11th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
I agree having exercise will help our body to be healthy. I also suggest that having a balance diet and plenty of water a day will help. Nice article. Thank you
loui says on January 30th, 2010 at 8:32 pm
i wants healthy body please