Find out how exercise affects your sexual health.
Consistently incorporating exercise into your daily routine requires discipline, dedication, time, energy and effort.
It can seem difficult to make time for physical activity during busy days, but doing so regularly can benefit your physical, mental and sexual health.
Exercise trends are consistently in flux. According to the most recent worldwide survey of health fitness professionals by the American College of Sports Medicine, the exercise and fitness trends of the day are finally starting to change following the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the pandemic, working out in home gyms and participating in online fitness classes topped the list of trends with public gyms closed for safety. While home gyms are still in the top 20 list of 2023 fitness trends, most gyms and fitness clubs have reopened.
Exercise trends have turned toward things such as wearable technology—smartwatches that track steps, heart rate and other health data—fitness programs, personal coaches, group classes and mobile fitness apps.
When it comes to exercise, consistency matters a lot more than whether you're doing yoga or lifting weights. Even on the days when getting some physical activity feels like a tall order, try to get your heart pumping for just a few minutes. Working out with regularity, even if the workouts are not super intense, will benefit your health and well-being in the long run.
There are four main focuses of exercise and physical activity: endurance, flexibility, balance and strength. Different exercises can help you target these different fitness elements:
When you first get started with physical activity, focus on having fun and connecting with your body. Ease into exercise and increase the duration, intensity and frequency of workouts as time goes on.
The best way to get started is to make a plan, starting with when are you going to work out, how are you going to work out and where. Making a plan builds in some personal accountability.
Take it one workout at a time. If you do so each time and focus on regularly engaging in physical activity, your physical, mental and sexual health will benefit in the long term.
If you're new to exercising and want to ensure it becomes a permanent part of your routine, prioritize consistency as you start. If you focus too much on workout intensity, you may end up exhausting yourself or making the workout unenjoyable, which can make it more difficult to continue to work out regularly.
The best strategy is to ease into it and slowly increase the duration and intensity of your workouts. Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint. As the habit of getting active solidifies, you can begin to challenge yourself more. Setting small, achievable goals for yourself can help keep you motivated.
You should put some thought into how you exercise, too. Find ways to make it enjoyable. For some, this may mean taking regular hikes, practicing yoga and meditation, rock climbing, going for scenic walks or jogging, whether in nature or in your neighborhood.
The more you enjoy what you do, the greater the chance you'll want to keep doing it.
The calories burned during exercise can help a person lose weight. Yes, working out promotes weight loss, but it's important to pair it with a balanced and nutritious diet for the best results. How much weight a person can lose through physical activity is heavily influenced by other factors such as weight, overall health, age, diet and lifestyle choices.
Some of the best exercises for weight loss and overall health include the following:
Any good core workout typically includes some sort of side plank. It's a basic but impactful exercise that strengthens your core muscles and requires the activation of other important muscle groups in your body. Of course, side planks are great for working out abdominal muscles, improving your posture and stability, and reducing back pain.
Here are the three steps you need to take to do a side plank:
If you want to make your side plank a little bit easier or more challenging, try holding an adapted version of the position.
Exercising your lower abs can contribute to a stronger core and tone of your muscles. A lot of different core exercises will have your abs burning in no time, but to give your lower abs a thorough workout, you'll need to do some targeted exercises.
Here are some of the best workouts for your lower abs:
Getting to the gym—or wherever you like to work out—is half the battle. Once you're there, you might as well do what you can to take your workout to the next level.
Here are five easy ways to get the most out of your workout:
If you have limited mobility, it's still possible to get quality exercise. It's just a matter of finding out what type of physical activity works best for you and your body.
Some people may do cardio with short walks or lower-impact workouts such as cycling or Pilates. Many individuals with limited mobility report that swimming or exercising in the water gives them the support they need to work out without experiencing muscle and joint discomfort.
You may benefit from booking a session with a personal trainer to get suggestions for different ways you can modify common exercises to fit your needs. If a personal trainer is not accessible to you or you want something that's more at your fingertips, you can explore videos on the internet of exercise ideas for people with mobility limitations.
Giving your body the balanced and nutritious fuel it needs is important for your overall health and well-being as well as your ability to exercise effectively.
Unfortunately, exercising often goes hand in hand with extreme dieting. Do your best to ignore the hype of fad diets. Research indicates they are often harmful and lead to a "yo-yo" effect of weight loss and gain rather than sustainable change.
Focus on fueling your body with a balance of different nutrient-dense foods.
The "best" exercises will vary from person to person depending on their preference, fitness level and mobility. That being said, here are 10 workouts that can be a good source of physical activity:
One great exercise that is easy to incorporate into your day-to-day life is walking. Finding opportunities to get a few extra steps in throughout the day can add up. Walking can be a great low-impact cardio workout.
Exercise can improve mood and alleviate some symptoms of depression and anxiety. The chemicals released in the brain when the body exercises can result in a feeling of euphoria and tension relief and can even provide more energy.
