Group Wellness Program60-DAY

Get moving!

Get Moving!• Lack of exercise kills as many people as smoking.

One third of adults does not get enough exercise. This kills 5.3 million people annually (the Lancet, 2012).

•  If you have a chronic illness such as high blood pressure or heart disease, physical activity will make you half as likely to die than if you are inactive (Archives of Internal Medicine, 2001).

• Cardiovascular disease is the top killer; physical inactivity is the biggest risk factor for heart disease. This is because the heart is a muscle and needs to be kept fit. You need to get out of breath several times a week to keep the heart muscle strong.

Get Moving!• A study showed that those who live to be a hundred

walk an hour a day or get the equivalent amount of exercise.

• The top causes of non-communicable disease (such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer) are smoking, physical inactivity, alcohol abuse, and poor diet.

• Two and a half hours of brisk exercise weekly is recommended.

Get moving!

Get moving!

Get moving!

Get moving!

How moving keeps you young• Exercise lowers blood pressure, homocysteine levels

and LDL cholesterol and therefore helps keep the heart healthy.

• Exercise improves muscle strength, including the heart muscle and muscles lining the colon to improve movement of stool.

• Exercise boosts circulation and lymphatic function so that nutrients get to cells and toxic waste is removed.

• Exercise boosts white blood cell performance to enhance the immune system – this means less coughs and colds and lower risk of cancer.

• Studies suggest regular physical activity lowers the risk of cancer, notably of the breast and colon.

How moving keeps you young• Exercise improves bone density, thus reducing the risk

of osteoporosis. • Exercise boosts metabolism and burns calories to aid

weight loss.• Exercise improves insulin sensitivity and balances

blood glucose – inactive men are almost four times as likely as active men to get diabetes.

• Exercise improves mood, reduces stress levels, and reduces anxiety and depression due to the release of endorphins.

• Exercise boosts brain function and can raise IQ by stimulating blood flow to the brain and growth factors which enable brain cells to grow.

• Exercise stimulates production of anti-aging human growth hormone (HGH).

How moving keeps you young• Exercise reduces cortisol levels. • Exercise improves physical appearance by toning

muscles, aiding weight loss, and improving circulation to skin, hair and nails.

Ways to keep moving• Take the stairs• Walk instead of drive• Walk around the block a couple of times during office

hours• Walk to school and back with the kids• Dance classes – belly dance, zumba, capoeira, tap,

ballroom…• Yoga • Pilates• Martial arts classes• Other exercise classes• Hula hoop at home• Go for a hike or run outdoors

Aerobic is Best!• The most beneficial types of exercise are the aerobic

ones.• These get your heart pumping harder and make you

out of breath.• Aerobic exercise is excellent for your circulation. Forms

of aerobic exercise include:– brisk walking– swimming– dancing– climbing uphill– rollerblading– rebounding– ball games and martial arts– any other activity which gets you out of breath

• Yoga is not aerobic but has a similar effect on oxygenation of tissues through deep breathing.

Aerobic is Best!• Don’t forget:

– warm up before starting any vigorous exercise to avoid damage to muscles

– cool down afterwards by slowing down and doing stretches– keep hydrated by drinking enough water

How much is enough?• Most experts recommend half to one hour of brisk

movement three or more days per week. If you cannot do 30 minutes at one time, split it into 3 x ten minutes.

• Just ten minutes a day of brisk walking has been shown to cut heart attack risk and benefit health.

•  It’s never too late to start!

Don’t over-exercise• This can increase levels of aging free radicals,

suppress immunity, and raise cortisol levels, which is why professional athletes are prone to having low immunity.

• People do not over-exercise in the Hot Spots, but go at a pace which feels right for their naturally-fit bodies.

• The Adventist study showed that, while those who exercise regularly live longer, taking excessive exercise (such as running marathons) has an adverse effect.

• Chen Jinchao, the director of the Bama Longevity Research Center, points out that the heart should not beat more than 120 times per minute during exercise, or the aging process can actually be accelerated.

Do it outdoors for vitamin D• Vitamin D - the ‘sunshine vitamin’ - manufactured in

the body when the skin is exposed to ultraviolet rays.• Vitamin D is essential for good health and has anti-

cancer, immune-boosting properties. • Sunlight is the most reliable source.• Vitamin D deficiency is widespread, affecting up to 40

percent of the US female population and a billion Europeans, and is linked with health problems including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and osteoporosis.

Do it outdoors for Vitamin D• Dark-skinned people require more sunlight than

pale-skinned people in order to get enough vitamin D and should take extra care to get outside regularly.

• People who live in sunnier climates, especially if pale-skinned, will need less sun exposure time than those in colder areas.

ACTIVITY:Do high intensity exercise (jump rope, run fast in place, sprint, etc) for no longer than 30-45 seconds (or until you are huffing and puffing). Rest until your breath levels, then do it again. Do this at least 3 times daily. If you can work in walks, runs, etc, great. But at least getting this high intensity training (H.I.T.) or burst training. “Go until you can’t. Rest until you can.”

NEXT WEEK:The S.A.D.