There are two vital steps to achieving and maintaining good health throughout your life: eating a nutritious and balanced diet and partaking in regular exercise. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to join a gym, cycle every day or play a sport, however, as many everyday activities double as a great form of exercise, and often bring other health benefits too. The three activities below are perfect examples of this, so you may already be on your way to a healthy lifestyle without realizing it.
Brisk Walking
The car is king in America, but too many people use it for short and unnecessary journeys. This is bad news for the environment, as carbon dioxide emissions are at their highest in short drives, and studies show that journeys of less than 2 miles can produce up to 60% more pollution per mile than longer journeys. It’s also bad news for the driver, as they miss out on the significant health benefits that a brisk walk can bring. The calories burned during a walk depends upon the speed of the walk and the person making it, but a person weighing 175 pounds and walking at four miles per hour (a fairly brisk pace) would lose around 90 calories every 15 minutes. Thus, we can see that a brisk walk to the shops and back, rather than driving, can make a real difference to your waistline and fitness levels.
Gardening
Gardening is almost a perfect hobby, as it can be very relaxing and yet stimulating at the same time. It encompasses many activities, from digging and planting to weeding and mowing the lawn, that can provide a great source of exercise and which can be especially beneficial for people of senior age. There are also significant mental and physical health benefits associated with being around plants and flowers too, and that includes indoor plants too. The best indoor plants not only brighten up a room and produce feelings of happiness, they also help to improve the air quality around them and so make it easier to breathe freely.
Love Making
Making love to your partner regularly is a great way to strengthen your relationship, whether you’ve been together for 30 days or 30 years. It’s also an excellent form of exercise and surely one of the most enjoyable ways to burn calories. The benefits don’t stop there, as loving partners engaged in a sexual relationship can experience feelings of happiness and euphoria that are great for their mental health and wellbeing, bringing better emotional health and helping to reduce stress.
These are three activities that many of us undertake on a regular basis. Whilst many people don’t realize that they are keeping fit by doing them, the truth is that they make a real and positive difference to our overall physical health as well as bringing psychological benefits too. As with all forms of exercise, the benefits gained, particularly in terms of calories burned, will vary from individual to individual, but partaking in these activities frequently can bring improvements to our health that can last a lifetime.