THUNDER BAY – Often by March or April, people start worrying about how they will look in the summer. An easier solution is to maintain a more consistent level of physical activity all year. It can be a walk along the creeks, rivers and pathways in our city, or a stroll around Prince Arthur’s Landing. It might be a walk inside the Victoriaville Centre during the day, or the Intercity Mall.
For students starting school, the shift from summer activity to fall classes is a change in activity too.
Fitness is often the last thing on students’ minds when juggling class time, homework and a part time job. these simple fitness tips from Ryerson fitness centre specialist Patrick Williams will help students make the most of a short workout:
1. Pay attention to your overall health – Visit your doctor every year for annual check-ups. Trust your body to tell you when it needs medical attention.
2. Be a deep breather – Practice deep diaphragm breathing while you exercise. Breathe air in and out of your nostrils while relaxing your mouth. This brings oxygen to your muscles and increases your metabolism.
3. Stay hydrated – Try your best to replace fizzy drinks and juice with water, which will hydrate you better than any other beverage during a workout. If you’re having a hard time adjusting, try using flavour packets to help you make the change.
4. Eat a little, often – Eating a small meal every three or four hours will keep you energized and lessen your need to snack. Try to limit your intake of white sugar, flour, salt and milk. Healthy alternatives include sea salt and goat’s milk.
5. Posture – You may spend your evenings slouched over your desk doing homework, but try your best to maintain good posture throughout the day, especially during your workout. Regular exercise will naturally improve your posture.
6. Core Strength & Stability – Many people think that improving ‘core strength’ involves millions of crunches, but this is a myth! Just make sure that you’re moving using your core muscles when you exercise. This, coupled
with a rhythmic breathing pattern, will greatly improve your core strength and stability.
7. Footwork – Maintain proper foot function while exercising to ensure you make the most of your workout. Allow your feet to roll underneath you as you move, rolling from your heel to the balls of your feet and ending at your toes.
8. Gait – Maintain a complete leg swing during work outs, which allow for weight transfer from one leg to the next. This gives you both increased mobility and an even work out to both legs.
9. Get moving – Remember that even simple exercises like walking can be beneficial to your overall fitness. Simply walking instead of taking public transit will increase your overall cardio endurance. As long as you’re moving for at least 20 minutes three times per week, you are improving your fitness.
10. Rest and Recovery – Make sure you schedule rest and sleep time just as often as you schedule gym time. It is important to give your body time to relax after periods of intense exercise.
Heading into the fall doesn’t mean the end of outdoor activities, there are still lots of nice days for paddling on the lakes and rivers.
As it cools down, cross-country skiing or downhill skiing remain popular options for outdoor activity too.
Files from Newswise.
