Fitness

To Get a Better Workout, Play Like a Kid

Published

1 year ago

October 13, 2023

To Get a Better Workout, Play Like a Kid

“Adding an attitude of play is about trying to make things more interesting and meaningful,” Lyons says, adding that it can involve discovery, exploration and spontaneity. ”It can involve discovery, exploration, and spontaneity. There’s something unique about play that brings autonomy—you want to do it for its own sake.”

Throughout his adult life, John Whitty, 63, (my husband) has stayed fit by biking, walking, swimming and doing some strength training. But his real passion is going orienteering, an activity that involves using a detailed map and compass to navigate from point to point along an outdoor course at an organized meet, something he does six to 10 times per year.

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“It feels fresh because there’s a lot of discovery and exploration to it and it’s a way to exercise my creativity and problem-solving skills,” says Whitty, a lawyer in Washington, D.C. “Exercise doesn’t feel like the primary focus.”

But in the process of walking or running up and down hills and traversing wooded and rocky terrain for up to two hours at a time, he gets a great workout.

“It’s aerobic exercise,” Whitty says, “and it challenges my muscle strength, endurance, balance, and agility.”

Still, it feels like fun, to him—”like an outdoor adventure more than anything else,” he says.

To infuse your workout with a sense of play, Bowman suggests thinking about “what you like doing with your body or what it is about movement that feels playful to you.” Maybe it’s dancing, roller-skating, playing Frisbee or interactive video games. Then, find ways to bring those activities into your life..

Hopscotch, skip, Hula-Hoop and dance

To stay fit and active, Meredith Kurz, 67, walks regularly and takes swimming, body conditioning, and yoga classes at a nearby YMCA a few times during the week. On Saturdays and Sundays, she increases the fun factor by dancing to Lady Gaga or YouTube music videos in her living room for 20 to 25 minutes at a stretch.

“Because there’s something new to it, it sparks my brain and helps me avoid getting into a rut by doing the same thing every day,” says Kurz, a writer in New York City. “It helps me stay sharp while building fitness.”

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Fitness

Fitness Instructor Katie Austin Swears This Exercise Move Is the Perfect Pick-Me-Up

Published

7 hours ago

November 8, 2024

Press Room

Fitness Instructor Katie Austin Swears This Exercise Move Is the Perfect Pick-Me-Up

Here at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, we understand first-hand the power of a Katie Austin-led workout. Earlier this year, we had the chance to attend one of her energetic in-person classes in New York City. The workout blended low-impact cardio, bodyweight strength and sculpt moves—and the California-based instructor brought her characteristic high-energy instruction.

The combination made for an effective and fun workout and convinced us that, where fitness methods are concerned, Austin knows what she’s doing. Of course, we already knew as much already. For the past several years, she has dutifully led our talent in group workouts during launch weekends and Miami Swim Week celebrations. Plus, we’re devoted followers of her online platform, the Katie Austin App, which boasts hundreds of on-demand workout classes, healthy recipes and fitness tips. And for less than $10 per month, you can have access to it all.

Wanting to test out her methods before you commit? Look no further than Austin’s Instagram page, where she shares snippets of her weekly workouts and demonstrations of effective exercise moves. For example, the 31-year-old recently shared a “pick-me-up” move, perfect for adding to your current fitness routine. It is a bodyweight strength exercise that is guaranteed to raise your heart rate, too.

“Need a pick-me-up after the daylight savings shift? Shake off those seasonal blues with this kickboxing-inspired crossbody standing crunch to kickout – it’s a quick, feel-good move to lift your mood and get those endorphins flowing,” she wrote in the caption of the demonstration video. “This move will get your heart pumping and your endorphins flowing – no equipment, just your favorite song on blast. You’ll be feeling stronger and more energized in no time!”

In the video, Austin stood on her mat with her feet spread wide. She began by lifting one knee up towards her midline and twisting her upper body, bringing her opposite elbow to meet her knee. She then returned to her original position. From there, she lifted the same leg out into a lateral kickout. Then repeated without alternating sides.

If you’re in need of a pick-me-up—or just want a new move to incorporate into your routine—look no further than this Austin-approve exercise. And, if you like it, consider exploring more of her content on the Katie Austin App (and on her Instagram page).

Fitness

New Research Suggests Five Minutes of Extra Exercise a Day Could Lower Blood Pressure

Published

15 hours ago

November 8, 2024

Press Room

New Research Suggests Five Minutes of Extra Exercise a Day Could Lower Blood Pressure

High blood pressure (hypertension) is one of the most common causes of premature death worldwide. And while we’re well aware that frequent exercise can help combat high blood pressure, the good news is that new evidence suggests that just 5 minutes of extra movement could make a significant difference to our heart health and even potentially reduce those risks.

The study published in Circulation analysed health data from 14,761 participants to examine how swapping one type of movement with another was associated with changes in blood pressure. During the intervention, the participants from five different countries wore an accelerometer device to measure their activity and blood pressure throughout the course of the day and night.

The participant’s daily activity was split into six categories:

Sleep
Sedentary behaviour (sitting)
Slow walking
Fast walking
Standing
Vigorous exercise (running, cycling or stair climbing)

The researchers measured what would happen if a participant changed various amounts of one behaviour or another in order to estimate the effect on blood pressure.

They found that replacing sedentary behaviour with 20-27 minutes of exercise per day by uphill walking, stair climbing, running and cycling, was estimated to lead to a significant reduction in blood pressure and could potentially reduce cardiovascular disease by up to 29%.

The study also indicated that just five minutes of activity a day was estimated to potentially reduce blood pressure.

Yuliya Taba//Getty Images

According to joint senior author Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, ‘High blood pressure is one of the biggest health issues globally, but unlike some major causes of cardiovascular mortality there may be relatively accessible ways to tackle the problem in addition to medication.’

‘The finding that doing as little as five extra minutes of exercise per day could be associated with measurably lower blood pressure readings emphasises how powerful short bouts of higher intensity movement could be for blood pressure management,’ he explained.

First author Dr Jo Blodgett added, ‘For those who don’t do a lot of exercise, walking did still have some positive benefits for blood pressure. But if you want to change your blood pressure, putting more demand on the cardiovascular system through exercise will have the greatest effect.’

Fitness

Postpartum Exercise Cuts Odds of Postpartum Depression

Published

23 hours ago

November 7, 2024

Press Room

Postpartum Exercise Cuts Odds of Postpartum Depression

THURSDAY, Nov. 7, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Odds of postpartum depression are reduced by 45 percent in individuals who engaged in postpartum exercise, according to a review published online Nov. 5 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Andy Deprato, from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to examine the influence of postpartum exercise on maternal depression and anxiety.

Based on 35 studies (4,072 individuals), the researchers found with moderate-certainty evidence that exercise-only interventions reduced the severity of postpartum depressive symptoms (19 randomized controlled trials [RCTs]; standardized mean differences [SMDs]: −0.52; I² = 86 percent; moderate effect size) and anxiety symptoms (two RCTs; SMD: −0.25; I² = 0 percent; small effect size) and the odds of postpartum depression (four RCTs; odds ratio, 0.55; I² = 0 percent) versus no exercise. Postpartum individuals needed to accumulate at least 350 MET-minutes/week of exercise (e.g., 80 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise such as brisk walking, water aerobics, stationary cycling, or resistance training) to achieve at least a moderate reduction in the severity of postpartum depressive symptoms.

“These data support the engagement in postpartum physical activity to prevent or improve depressive symptoms as a low-cost and acceptable intervention,” the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text