Exercise is something a lot of people struggle to find time for, but definitely something that is still necessary to incorporate into your life.

Dr. Trevor Clark and Dr. Jane Peterson from Connect Chiropractic say it's an important thing to practice and can be, in fact, a rewarding experience.

“Sitting is the new smoking” is a phrase Clark and Peterson have both been hearing and experiencing with a number of their patients.

“People who do sit all day at work are at a greater risk of heart disease and a shorter life-span,” Peterson explained.

According to a study of 150 people from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, people who do a moderately-intensive workout for 30 minutes each day can reduce that risk.

Daily exercise can be difficult to do with people who have busy lives but a new seven-minute workout from the American College of Sports Medicine is trying to help even the busiest individuals have a chance at a healthier lifestyle.

“They’ve compiled a list of specific exercises to perform, performing each exercise for 30 seconds taking a 10-second rest and then going into the next exercise for another 30 seconds,” said Peterson.

The types of exercises in the seven-minute workout include jumping jacks, wall-sit, push-ups, crunches, step-up, squats, tricep-dips, planks, running-in-place, lunges, and side planks.

Making sure you are doing the exercises properly and taking time to do them well is something Peterson says is very important, “You don’t want to rush through them because then your form will most likely break.”

Making sure you have a stable spine is something Clark says is very essential to do, also.

“Planks help straighten all of the supportive muscles around your spine… three sets of planks for 30 seconds each is just as effective as trying to hold it for as long as you can.”

If needed, a modified plank can help some people start exercising more successfully.

“Some people are going to have to start with a modified plank,” said Peterson, “but when it comes [down] to it, it really depends on the person.”

If you’re scared to start exercising because of a lower back pain issue, Peterson says that exercise might actually be the best way to help.

“There are studies that show that exercising can actually help reduce that low back pain that people might already have,” she said, such as the study completed by the European Journal of Pain in April of 2019. 806 obese people were studied who lost five per cent or more of their body weight, and they saw recovery in low back and knee pain, the study reports.

Of course, there are no immediate results for long-lasting positive lifestyle habits, and exercise is no exception. But when those results aren’t immediate, Clark encourages people to “walk by faith instead of by sight.”

The hardest part, remember, is often getting started.

 

connectmindbodysoul 1