Be active always

Be active always

To live and enjoy your life fully, you need to be physically and mentally active. Yes, we all are actively living our life, doing our things, and finishing our tasks on time. But, it is equally important for everyone to be moving their hands and limbs and doing some or other activity always.

 To take out time from the daily rigours of life and working on your mind and body is the key. In fact, staying active sometimes can be quite an eye-opener. You begin to find out how strong or weak your body is. How fast or slow your limbs move or how long it takes you to solve a puzzle.

Why you need to be active

1.    Young or old everyone needs a strong heart and strong muscles to use oxygen efficiently. If you are fit and your muscles are strong, you will feel less breathlessness doing everyday work like climbing stairs, doing household work or even walking.

2.    Being active can improve your brain health, and keep your mind sharp and active. An active mind and body can make anyone lead a blissful life.

3.    You can help manage your weight, reduce the risk of diseases, make your bones and muscles strong, and improve your ability to do everyday activities with ease if you are active.

4.    The daily activity you do can have immediate and long-term health benefits the most important one is that regular activity can improve your quality of life.

5.    Indulging in physical and mental activity helps improve your mood and removes the symptoms of anxiety and depression.

6.    As you age the absence of activeness in life, declines the ability to think, learn and make decisions. If you stay active you can delay and manage your old age well.

7.    Physical activity prevents or delays diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, or osteoporosis.

 How to be physically active every day

If you are a kid, who likes to play, jump, run, dance and cycle around then you are having a sufficient amount of activity time at your disposal. But, if most of your time passes sitting in front of your television, or study desk or playing mobile games then you need to change your daily routine and start to become physically active.

If you are a young adult, you need to devote at least 150 minutes of the week or 30 minutes per day to physical activity. Depending on your age, body type, strength and fitness level, you need to push yourself daily to be active.

This will ensure your vitals function at their best. You will find yourself happy and bouncing with energy.

If you are an elderly then it is essential that you make physical activity an important part of your daily routine. Older adults should be as active as possible and realize that exercise can help them live a longer and healthier life. For older individuals exercise helps them to prevent injury, improve strength, improve balance, provide energy and prevent falls.

It is safe for most adults over 65 years old to exercise. Even most patients who have chronic illnesses can exercise safely. These illnesses include heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis. Many of these conditions are improved with exercise. If you are not sure if exercise is safe for you or if you are currently inactive, ask your doctor.

Best ways to stay active.

1.    Start doing aerobics activities, such as brisk walking, swimming or dancing, which will raise your heart rate and improve the circulation of oxygen around the body.

2.    Include activities to improve muscles and bone strength, such as climbing stairs, carrying shopping or children, waka ama or digging in the garden.

3.    Sit less, move more, especially for long periods, at your computer or in front of the TV. Break up sitting and move for at least a few minutes every hour, preferably more.

4.    Jogging, biking faster than 16km per hour, dance, aerobics, fast lap and swimming is the best way to stay active.

5.    Young people can do muscle-strengthening activities for all 5 major muscle groups (arms, legs, chest, abdominals, and back).

6. Taking breaks from a long period of sitting should be the mantra.

7.    Move as much as possible during the day, walk, take the stairs, and do housework to raise your heart rate. Look for challenges and have fun walks or runs. . Taking the stairs has significant cardiovascular benefits and can burn more calories than jogging.

8.    Tracking your steps with a fitness tracker, smartwatch, smartphone or pedometer is an easy way to ensure you’re getting enough activity in each day. Start by tracking your steps for one day, then try to slowly improve that number until you’re walking at least 10,000 steps every day.

How to stay mentally active every day

Forgetfulness is something which we generally experience when we are not careful to listen to things properly. It is also related to the ability of our brain to remember things as the ageing process starts.

Ageing also has an impact on concentration and attention span. But the ageing of the brain can be improved and delayed by keeping yourself mentally active. Deterioration and age-related memory problems will occur but keeping yourself mentally and physically fit and active will definitely make you feel better. You can take measures like-

Healthy food

Fatty fish, yoghurt, eggs, dark chocolates, blueberries, pumpkin seeds and nuts are some of the food to boost your brain health. Stop taking cakes, pasta, sugary food and sugary drink as they are bad for brain health.

Regular exercise

Keep yourself active and do regular exercise or jogging, walking or aerobics to keep your brain healthy. Exercise for half an hour at least three times a week.

Mind workout

For a mind workout, you can try these:

1.    Take time out to enjoy a daily puzzle or the crossword.

2.    Use the option of mental arithmetic rather than using the calculator.

3.    Make a habit of reading more – perhaps by joining or starting a book club.

4.    Play mind-stretching games, like bingo, bridge, chess or computer games.

5.    Stay socially active and join a local music or dance group or start a gardening club.

6.    Learn to knit or embroider, even gardening is good for the brain.

7.    Join a course whether it is a day or evening class, and make your mind intellectually stimulated.

8.    Plan to go out with your friends – enjoy movie time, theatre and galleries.

9.    Meditation will calm your mind and keep stress and anxiety away.

Importance of staying active in later life.

 Staying active can always help in later life. It lowers your risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer. Staying active also improves your strength and balance so you can prevent injuries and stay independent. It lowers your aches and pain and you can really feel good.

As you grow older regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health.  It also helps your muscles grow stronger so you can keep doing your day-to-day activities without becoming dependent on others.

 Taking care of your physical and mental health requires you to stay active. It also involves besides staying active, making healthy food choices, getting enough sleep, limiting your alcohol intake, and proactively managing your health care. Small changes in each of these areas can go a long way to supporting healthy ageing.