Citizens Memorial Hospital | Vitality | Fall 2020

Keep your blood pressure, cholesterol and weight in a healthy range.  Protect you from heart disease and type 2 diabetes.  Strengthen your bones and muscles.  Boost your mood. Source: National Institutes of Health Check out these rewards Walking is a great way to start exercising. Frequent, brisk walks can help: Strength training: Worth the weight Say the word “exercise,” and a lot of us automatically think of heart-pumping cardio workouts. But strength training also has major benefits you don’t want to miss out on. Just two or three quick muscle-building sessions every week can help you stay stronger, leaner and healthier. They can help: » Slow the natural muscle loss that occurs with age. » Speed up your metabolism. Added muscle makes it easier for your body to burn calories, even at rest. » Strengthen your bones and help protect you from fractures. » Boost your balance and reduce your risk of dangerous falls. » Keep your joints flexible and ease arthritis pain. You can get these benefits at home or in the gym—with resistance bands, free weights or weight machines. Or just use your own body weight with moves like pushups, squats and lunges. Any exercise that makes your muscles work harder than usual counts. If you haven’t exercised in a while, get a doctor’s OK before you start. Sources: American Cancer Society; American Heart Association citizensmemorial.com 11