Do you need some reasons to get fit and stay fit over the holiday season? Well just in case you do here are the Top 10 medical reasons to stay fit and active over Christmas and into the New Year. The holiday season is a great time to take the time to create a new fitness program for yourself and can then be included in your new year resolutions.

Top 10 list of reasons to exercise this holiday season.

1. Exercise helps keep your arteries flexible and malleable, which prevents heart disease and heart attacks.

2. If you have metabolic syndrome, losing as little as 6.5 percent of your body weight results in substantial reductions in blood pressure, glucose, triglycerides and total cholesterol, all factors that lead to heart disease.

3. Exercise prevents the growth of fat that surrounds the midsection, which is angry, dynamic fat that actively contributes to diabetes and resulting vision loss and limb amputations.

4. Fat around the midsection is also associated with inflammation that leads to damaged blood vessels, heart disease, liver disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Exercise helps prevent this.

5. Exercise lifts your mood by increasing serotonin levels in your brain.

6. Exercise can be a social activity, which is associated with higher incidence of general happiness.

7. Strength training improves bone strength and prevents osteoporosis.

8. Strength training and flexibility helps prevent injuries caused by everyday activities like lifting things and hopping over puddles.

9. Participating in team sports like flag football, softball, basketball or sand volleyball enhances hand-eye coordination and improves your reflexes.

10. Exercise tones your muscles and makes you leaner.

Medical News Today

happy holidays and a balancenoosa new year!

Related articles by Zemanta

• The Many Benefits of Exercise

live a balanced life…

Image via Wikipedia

Laugh every day for health and fitness. Yes, you heard right daily laughter helps to create a healthier, fitter you!

Ask yourself this… When was the last time you enjoyed a real belly laugh? Not just a snigger, a giggle or a titter, but a reall deep genuine belly laugh.

Laughter has so many benefits:

• helps to reduce stress and release ‘happy hormones and chemicals through the brain and nervous system
• lowers blood pressure
• elevates the mood (those happy hormones and chemicals)
• boosts the immune system
• improves brain function
• protects the heart
• helps to connect you to others (connection is a deep survival need)
• gives instant relaxation
• is a great core workout as it activates the diaphragm and massages the internal organs

What if you don’t feel like laughing?

I’ll let you into a little secret your mood is what is called a state, and you can change state just by choice. Yes that’s right no-one can actually make you feel anything, you have to choose it (I have brought my kids up with this knowledge and it has created the most well adjusted kids). So the trick is to choose a different mood and happiness accomanied by laughter is very healing as well.

So try watching a comedy or cartoon, tell jokes with your friends (even if there not funny it is laughable), seek out humour in your daily life and respond to it by laughing, and last but by no means least – fake it until you make it, laugh for no reason at all. You will reap the results and it works better than any anti-depressant.

Everyone knows that Yoga has many health benefits, and now they are proving it, “Preventive Research Center at Yale’s School of Medicine found that “yoga may be as effective in reducing total blood pressure as conventional drug treatments.” Hypertension stresses the kidneys and this causes them to push backward out of their natural alignment.” What is really interesting is the The Yale Medical Group have quite a few research studies happening at the moment re: Yoga.

One for Hypertension (High Blood Pressure), another to see how Yoga affects Asthma, and even one to see how Yoga can help people with cancer! So even the medical community cannot deny the myriad health benefits of doing Yoga regularly. Why not get to a class or book a session today!

If you are in the Sunshine Coast area of Queensland balancenoosa will be happy to bring your Yoga wellness session right to you at home, why not book a session right now.

live a balanced life…