The “One Thing” For An Amazing Day

 

The “One Thing”

What If I told you that I had a “Magic Pill” that could do the following for you?

-help you to be super positive all day long

-increase your mental focus

-give you amazing energy all day long

-help you loose weight

-improve your sleep

-increase your HGH(Human Growth Hormone that we loose as we age)

-Increase your Testosterone levels (again, they diminish as we age which means less energy and drive)

-amongst other great benefits

Well I have the magic pill and have been using it for years.  Guest what it is?

Answer: Move every day

 

 

“I don’t have a treadmill/peleton/trainer/ weights………”

Often I hear people say that they can’t workout since they don’t have the proper equipment. I hear things such as “I can’t work out since the gym is closed, I don’t have my trainer, I don’t have my peleton to name a few”: These are all legitimate reasons for not working out however what we don’t realize is we just need to move every day. Use whatever is around you in your environment in order to have a great workout.

To read more about this concept you can visit an earlier blog “Lift A Tree” http://kevinbradyhealth.com/lift-a-tree/

 

 

Longest Living People On The Planet

For my long term blog post readers you would know that I have studied the habits of the longest living people on the planet. A lot of this great work was done by Dan Buettner in his book entitled “Blue Zones”. Blue Zones are places on the planet whereby people live exponentially longer and have more Centenarians(live to be over 100 years of age) than anywhere else in the world. Dan’s great work highlights what these “Blue Zones” all have in common and narrows it down to 5 key indicators of longevity. One of the key factors is that these people just “move” every day. They are not working out on treadmills, at gyms, ellipticals or Peleton bikes, they simply just ‘move’ every day. To refresh or read more about the traits of the longest living people on the planet, you can access it here; http://kevinbradyhealth.com/6-secrets-of-sardegna-centurions/ ‎

 

 

Workout – Misleading Name

I have never understood the term “workout” as it implies that fitness or moving  is “work”. I personally look at my time to get fit as one of the highlights of my day. I look forward to it every day(or at least most days!) and if I don’t get a time in for fitness,  I feel like something is missing. What I suggest to people is to do any activity where you are moving but do what you enjoy. If you love walking, then walk, if you love hiking, then hike, if you love skiing then ski…..very simply do what you enjoy. If you do what you enjoy then you are “moving” most days and will keep coming back for more.

 

When to ‘Move”

One of the most frequent questions I get from people is what time of day should they  exercise? I believe the most important thing is to move every day and not worry too much about the best time of day for it. Personally, I like booking off first thing in the morning for my exercise routine. I find that it allows me to approach the coming day full throttle and puts me in a super positive mindset. Additionally, since I know I am getting up super early for my morning fitness routine, it forces me to get to bed earlier so that I have a great night sleep. I personally find that on days where I have early morning commitments and schedule my fitness later in the day that it doesn’t happen as I get busy later in the day or simply don’t feel like I have the energy to complete my fitness session. Therefore, for me, I prefer to have my “movement” first thing in the morning for a number of reasons.

 

 

What is the best form of Exercise?

One of my most frequent questions is what is the best type of exercise to do?  – Cardiovascular, Strength training or Balance. Ideally, you want to try to get all of these different exercise options in on a weekly basis. If you hit all of these area’s then you are well equipped to move through life with vitality and avoid injuries or falls. Millions of older people fall every year and statistics show that 1 out of 4 adults 65 years of age or older are admitted to hospital due to falling. http://Bergen G, Stevens MR, Burns ER. Falls and Fall Injuries Among Adults Aged ≥65 Years — United States, 2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65:993–998. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6537a2The best way to avoid falling is to work on balance, strength and mobility exercises.

 

Personally, I do predominantly cardiovascular fitness as racing season approaches(like now) and I work on more strength and weights in my off season to build up my strength. Ideally, you want to try to fit all of these 3 components into your daily routine – Cardiovascular/Strength/ Balance for optimal balance and longevity.

 

Summary

The one thing that I do daily that helps me be mentally strong and fit is to start off my day with a great fitness routine. I find that it reduces stress, makes me feel great and allows me to approach the day ahead with optimism and vitality. If “movement” is part of your daily routine then congratulations on that as you are well ahead of the curve. For those that are not making fitness a daily habit, I encourage you to start making it a priority as it will improve you life in so many ways.

 

Yours in the very best of health and happiness,

 

Kev