4/24/2020

What do you do with all your spare time?

Are you looking to start your fitness journey? You have a bunch of time on your hands now more than ever during this pandemic, but you’re unsure where to begin. You don’t want to do too much too fast. The good news is, you can start anytime, anywhere, and at your own pace. Let’s begin with a walk outdoors on our lunch break!

As most of us know, exercise is great for the heart. It also lowers blood pressure, reduces LDL “bad” cholesterol, and boosts your HDL “good” cholesterol.

Not only is a cardio workout healthy for the heart, but utilizing the outdoors while exercising has many more positive side effects. Take 15-20 minutes during your lunch break to enjoy the outside surroundings while soaking up some Vitamin D.

Sunlight for Good Health

Do you know all the pros to Sunlight exposure? Sunlight gives off Vitamin D aka THE SUNSHINE VITAMIN. Vitamin D helps maintain healthy bone strength. According to WebMD, “Scientists believe 5-15 minutes in sunlight is the perfect solution to increase health to your bones, blood cells, and immune system. It may also help with the intake of certain minerals, like calcium and phosphorus.” Be careful being in the sun for too long, and wear sunscreen.

Sunlight for Good Sleep

WebMD mentions, “Contact with sunlight may increase sleep.” Our internal clocks tend to kick in when the sun rises up and when it sets. As we get older, it becomes more important to take in the early sunlight. This is because, as we start to age our eyes become less able to take in light resulting with more sleeping problems.

Sunlight for Weight Loss

Well+Good states that, “Researchers at the University of Alberta in Canada, discovered that blue light from the sun actually shrinks the fat cells beneath our skin.” Extra winter weight could be caused by lack of sun, on top of lack of exercise.

Sunlight for Emotions

Why is it that the summer time usually brings on great moods? We wake up and see the light shining through our bedroom windows. It gives us the motivation to wake up and start moving. Healthline discusses, “this is because the sun produces serotonin, which is a hormone released in our brains. These hormones help increase mood, and assist us in relaxing and staying focused.”  

Long work days require a mental break. This will increase productivity along with happiness and creativity. Don’t wait until next week to get started. Start today! A little bit at a time, will go a long way. Being fit does not happen overnight. You must work at it. There will be days you will want to quit. Push for the days you want to go further.

Interested in sharing your story/recipe/workout?

Please email me at jjones@riggsdistler.com

Stay Healthy 🙂 

Jackie Jones