Aerobic exercise goes by many names. It’s often called endurance exercise because it’s done over long periods of time. Another common name is cardio because of its benefit to the cardiovascular system. Whatever you call it, it’s an integral part of any exercise routine, and should be a part of your daily life in some form or another. So what exactly is aerobic exercise and how can we use it to improve our health? Continue reading Exercise: Aerobic Exercise
We’ve all heard that exercise is good for us and that it will help us live longer, healthier lives; but what does that mean? What happens if we don’t exercise and how does our body change when we do? Continue reading Exercise: Benefits
Most of us probably know that if we’re going to exercise, we need to use some energy to move our muscles and burn fat. But where does that energy come from? It’s complicated. Continue reading Exercise: Energy
Exercise is a potent tool in maintaining a healthy body and we’ve known this for thousands of years. The Roman statesman Cicero extolled its benefits and the people of the Indian subcontinent have been practicing yoga for at least 5,000 years. The Greeks created the Olympics out of the respect for health and physical fitness. So we’ve known that exercise is important for a long time, but why is it important, and what is it? Continue reading Exercise: Introduction
More than any other substance, water defines our bodies and the world we live in. Over 70% of our planet’s surface is covered with water and about 60% of our body is composed of water. Despite being odorless, flavorless, colorless, and containing no caloric value, life as we know it is not possible without water. But what is it and why is it so vital? Continue reading Water
More and more, it’s common to read about the dangers of triglycerides and how they are going to lead us to an early death. But why the hype? What’s their connection to cardiovascular disease (CVD)? And what is a triglyceride anyway? Continue reading Heart Health: Triglycerides
So far we’ve talked about cholesterol and blood pressure, both of which are indicators of heart health. If either of them are too high, it’s indicative of an issue we need to resolve. Today, we’re going to talk about two of the underlying causes of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Continue reading Heart Health: Atherosclerosis
When it comes to heart health, one of the most important things to pay attention to is our blood pressure. As one of the vital signs that doctors check to get a baseline indicator of our health, a healthy blood pressure is indicative of much more than a healthy heart. First, science. Let’s start with what blood pressure is. It all starts with the heart. … Continue reading Heart Health: Blood Pressure
It’s never too early to start thinking about our heart health. It’s the engine that keeps our body running so we need to take care of it. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) the United States has over 600,000 deaths every year from cardiovascular disease (CVD). At 70 deaths per hour that makes CVD the number one killer of Americans. The numbers don’t improve internationally. According to the World Health Organization nearly 18 million people die from CVD every year. Continue reading Heart Health: Conquering Cholesterol
If you keep up with my workout log you’ll see that I haven’t been as diligent with my workouts these past two weeks as I had been. That got me to thinking about how I can make sure I stay on track with my exercise. After scouring the internet for the best advice out there and thinking on my own experiences, I’ve come up with a list of different ways to stay motivated to work out and to finish the work out.
The most important motivator for me, and the one that gets listed with the most consistency on other sites, is to set a goal. A goal gives us something to work towards and a reason to work through any obstacles. The trick is not to set a goal that’s beyond what we can accomplish. It doesn’t matter how simple our goal is, the important thing is that we can reach it. Continue reading “Finishing What We Started”
