Fitness Basics

By Rosh Health Center

June 28, 2022

Exercise is any physical activity that is planned, repetitive, structured, and carried out with power, speed, agility, and accuracy. It combines aerobic activity, anaerobic exercise, agility training, stretching, and strength training, which improves body function and promotes general health and wellness.

Fitness Basics

How much exercise do we need
Best time to exercise
Benefits of working out in the morning
Benefits of working out in the afternoon or evening
Health benefits of outdoor exercise
Ways to converting a sedentary lifestyle
Habits to practice before exercise
Post-workout habits: stretches and cool-down exercises
Post-workout nutrient recommendation
Supplements to consult with healthcare professional

How much exercise do we need?

Engage in regular movement daily
- Brisk walking or jogging, aerobic exercise, strength training, swimming, biking, etc.
Physical activity increases circulation and promotes detoxification
Physical activity recommendations
- 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise (30 minutes a day, five times a week)
- 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise
- Or a combination of both

When is the best time to exercise?

Best time to exercise depends on

Lifestyle
Preference

What are the benefits of working out in the morning

Morning workout
- Starting the day with morning exercise is excellent for health and wellness
The benefits of morning exercise include
- Improve alertness, focus, mood, energy, metabolism, weight loss, muscle building
- Fewer distractions
- Reduced fatigue

What are the benefits of working out in the afternoon or evening

Working-out in the afternoon or evening
- Increased workout results
Afternoon workout
- Peak muscle strength and cardiovascular endurance
- Fastest reaction time
Evening workout
- Physical capacity, aerobic capacity, and strength output increases 8% – 30%
- Increased testosterone production in the afternoon for muscle growth and strength
- Cortisol decreases throughout the day
  - Stress hormone linked to storage and accumulation of fat

Health Benefits of Outdoor Exercise?

Outdoor Exercise
- Exposure to nature enhances the therapeutic effects of exercise
- Take a moment to breathe in deeply
- Exposure to greenery and natural sceneries has therapeutic effects (forest bathing)
- Involve family and friends to increase the fun
The benefits of outdoor exercise include
- Reduced stress, anxiety, and depression
- Enhanced relaxation
- Lowered blood pressure, pulse rate, cortisol levels and heart rate variability
- Improved cognition, mood, overall wellbeing
- Exposure to sun increases
  - Vitamin D levels
    - supports immune system, bone health (prevents osteoporosis)
  - Serotonin, a hormone that affects your mood
Examples of outdoor exercise
- Walking, running, biking, climbing, etc.
- Playing basketball, American football, baseball, soccer, volleyball, etc.

Being realistic

The best time to exercise is the one that actually happens

Say active every day in as many ways as you can

The body is designed to move
Movement = Health and wellness
Think of movement as an opportunity
Avoid sedentary lifestyle by incorporating healthier movements to daily routine

Ways to Converting a Sedentary Lifestyle

Consider a standing workstation
Earn your sit time
Park your car fartheraway from your destination
Take movement breaks
Take the stairs
Try a new hobby
Replace it with walking
Replace social media and TV with walking
Set movement reminders
Stand up or do exercises while watching TV
Stand while you work
Start with your housework, gardening, and yardwork
Exercise, stretch or stand while watching TV
Walk during calls or meetings
Walk more around your house
Walk on your work breaks
Walk while waiting
Walk or bike to work
Walk to relax

Track your Steps

Track your steps with a fitness band, pedometer, step counter apps and pedometer apps
CDC recommendation
- Aim for 10,000 steps or more per day

Habits to Practice before Exercise

Breathe
Challenge yourself
Do not let your ego dictate exercise routine
Do not rush, overdo, or ignore pain
Do not skip flexibility training,balance training, and cardiovascular work
Focus on form
Gather feedback
Have a purpose
Ignore your phone
Improve your posture
Limit distractions
Listen to your body
Make it fun
Remember the fundamentals
Stay hydrated
Switch up workout routine
Track your progress
Use mind-muscle connection
Work with a personal trainer

Post-workout Habits: Stretches and cool-down exercises

Improves neuromuscular contractile properties
Improves musculotendinous stiffness
Improves range of motion
Improves hormonal balance (stress hormones)
Promotes faster recovery of muscle damage
Promotes faster recovery of body temperature, cardiovascular andrespiratory systems (blood pressure, heart rate, etc.)
Reduces lactic acid buildup
Reduces muscle cramps, stiffness, and soreness
Speeds up post workout recovery

Post-workout Habits

Post-workout Habits
- Record your progress
Self-care
- Get a good night sleep, avoid processed food (high glycemic index carbs, etc.), consume organic whole food, take an Epsom salt bath, focus on techniques to recover, and repair

Post-workout nutrient Recommendation

Magnesium

Involved in multiple chemical reactions in the body, needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions, aids in the production of energy, necessary for the construction of proteins and bones, maintains normal nerve and muscle function
Magnesium rich foods: pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, almonds, spinach, cashews

Vitamin B1 (thiamin)

Involved in nerve, muscle, and heart function, glucose metabolism, essential for growth, development, and function of cells, enables the body to use carbohydrates as energy
Vitamin B1 rich foods: rice, black beans, tuna, etc.

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)

Involved in converting carbohydrates into glucose, used to produce energy, nerve cell function, production of DNA and RNA (body’s genetic material), works closely with vitamin B9 (folate or folic acid), red blood cells production
Vitamin B12 rich foods: clams, tuna, nutritional yeast, salmon, beef, yogurt

Sodium

Both an electrolyte and mineral, maintains the proper balance of water and minerals, contributes to the condition of nerve impulses, necessary for the contraction and relaxation of muscles
Himalayan salt

Potassium

Involved in maintaining the balance of fluids inside cells, helps keep heartbeat at the right pace, helps move nutrients into cells and waste products out of cells, helps muscle contraction, needed to maintain normal blood pressure
Potassium rich foods: apricots, lentils, prunes, squash, raisins, potatoes, kidney beans, banana

Green tea

Has powerful antioxidants and phytonutrients that gets ride of oxidation, boosts glutathione levels (gets rid of free radical damage), and increases fat oxidation

Beta-Alanine

Increases muscle carnosine (possess antioxidant properties, influence enzyme regulation, calcium regulation, decreases accumulation of lactic acid during intense exercise, reduces acidity in the muscles during high-intensity exercise, decreases overall fatigue)
Beta-alanine rich foods: meat, fish, poultry (chicken breasts)

Vitamin D

Calcium absorption in the gut, maintains adequate serum calcium and phosphate concentrations, enables normal bone mineralization, needed for bone growth and bone remodeling, protects older adults from osteoporosis, regulates mood, reduces inflammation, strengthens immune system
Vitamin D rich foods: Cod liver oil, rainbow trout, salmon, mushrooms

Probiotics

There is research that probiotic helps your exercise performance, especially recovery
Probiotic also helps decrease risk of getting an infection from exercising too much
When you exercise especially long-distance running. You really put a big stress on your immune system. Probiotic can help counter some of the effect