Tag Archive for: heart disease

Top 10 Reasons to get Physical

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Regular aerobic activity, such as walking, bicycling or swimming, can help you live longer and healthier. Need motivation? See how aerobic exercise affects your heart, lungs and blood flow. Then get moving and start reaping the rewards.

Ballroom Blitz – Every Monday from 1:30pm to 2:15pm

How your body responds to aerobic exercise

During aerobic activity, you repeatedly move large muscles in your arms, legs and hips. You’ll notice your body’s responses quickly.

You’ll breathe faster and more deeply. This maximises the amount of oxygen in your blood. Your heart will beat faster, which increases blood flow to your muscles and back to your lungs.

Your body will even release endorphins, natural painkillers that promote an increased sense of well-being.

Your small blood vessels (capillaries) will widen to deliver more oxygen to your muscles and carry away waste products, such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid.

Ballroom Dancing – Every Wednesday from 10:30 – 12:00

What aerobic exercise does for your health

Regardless of age, weight or athletic ability, aerobic activity is good for you. Aerobic activity has many health benefits, no matter your age. As your body adapts to regular aerobic exercise, you’ll get stronger and fitter.

Consider the following 10 ways that aerobic activity can help you feel better and enjoy life to the fullest.

Aerobic activity can help you:

  1. Keep excess pounds at bay
    Combined with a healthy diet, aerobic exercise helps you lose weight and keep it off.
  2. Increase your stamina, fitness and strength
    You may feel tired when you first start regular aerobic exercise. But over the long term, you’ll enjoy increased stamina and reduced fatigue.You can also gain increased heart and lung fitness and bone and muscle strength over time.
  3. Ward off viral illnesses
    Aerobic exercise activates your immune system in a good way. This may leave you less susceptible to minor viral illnesses, such as colds and flu.
  4. Reduce your health risks
    Aerobic exercise reduces the risk of many conditions, including obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, stroke and certain types of cancer.Weight-bearing aerobic exercises, such as walking, help decrease the risk of osteoporosis.
  5. Manage chronic conditions
    Aerobic exercise may help lower blood pressure and control blood sugar. It can reduce pain and improve function in people with arthritis. It can also improve the quality of life and fitness in people who’ve had cancer. If you have coronary artery disease, aerobic exercise may help you manage your condition.
  6. Strengthen your heart
    A stronger heart doesn’t need to beat as fast. A stronger heart also pumps blood more efficiently, which improves blood flow to all parts of your body.
  7. Keep your arteries clear
    Aerobic exercise boosts your high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the “good,” cholesterol, and lowers your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad,” cholesterol. This may result in less buildup of plaques in your arteries.
  8. Boost your mood
    Aerobic exercise may ease the gloominess of depression, reduce the tension associated with anxiety and promote relaxation. It can also improve your sleep.
  9. Stay active and independent as you age
    Aerobic exercise keeps your muscles strong, which can help you maintain mobility as you get older. Exercise can also lower the risk of falls and injuries from falls in older adults. And it can improve your quality of life.Aerobic exercise also keeps your mind sharp. Regular physical activity may help protect memory, reasoning, judgment and thinking skills (cognitive function) in older adults. It may also improve cognitive function in children and young adults. It can even help prevent the onset of dementia and improve cognition in people with dementia.
  10. Live longer
    Studies show that people who participate in regular aerobic exercise live longer than those who don’t exercise regularly. They may also have a lower risk of dying of all causes, such as heart disease and certain cancers.
The Coast Centre Walkers cross the city from Kings Cross to Bondi Junction on a fine winter morning

Take the first step

Ready to get more active? Great. Just remember to start with small steps. If you’ve been inactive for a long time or if you have a chronic health condition, get your doctor’s OK before you start.

When you’re ready to begin exercising, start slowly. You might walk five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening. Any physical activity is better than none at all.

The next day, add a few minutes to each walking session. Pick up the pace a bit, too. Soon, you could be walking briskly for at least 30 minutes a day and reaping all the benefits of regular aerobic activity. You can gain even more benefits if you exercise more.

Other options for aerobic exercise could include cross-country skiing, aerobic dancing, swimming, stair climbing, bicycling, jogging, elliptical training or rowing.

Aerobics with Danielle –

If you have a condition that limits your ability to participate in aerobic activities, ask your doctor about alternatives. If you have arthritis, for example, aquatic exercises may give you the benefits of aerobic activity without stressing your joints.

At The Coast Centre we have aerobic activities everyday of the week and walks every fortnight.

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The Benefits of Walking

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Some people may not be able to do full exercise or go to the gym, but just walking 30 minutes a day can greatly improve your health and is also a great way to maintain your overall health. If you can’t manage 30 minutes a day, remember ‘even a little is good, but more is better’.

Regular walking has multiple benefits:

  • Help to maintain a healthy weight
  • Prevent or manage various health conditions such as, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes
  • Strengthen your bones and muscles
  • Improve your mood
  • Improve your balance and coordination
  • Walking with others can turn exercise into an enjoyable social occasion
The Coasters at Barrenjoey Lighthouse

The statistics are impressive: The American Diabetes Association says walking lowers your blood sugar levels and your overall risk for diabetes. Research shows that regular walking lowers blood pressure by as much as 11 points and may reduce the risk of stroke by 20% to 40%.

In a study by the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002, it found a 30% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, compared with those who did not walk regular.

And according to a 2014 study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, Learning, Memory, and Cognition, going for a walk can also spark creativity. “Researchers administered creative-thinking tests to subjects while seated and while walking and found that the walkers thought more creatively than the sitters,” says Jampolis.

Walking can also keep your legs looking great. As we age, our risk of unsightly varicose veins increases—it’s just not fair. However, walking is a proven way to prevent those unsightly lines from developing.

If you already suffer from varicose veins, daily walking can help ease related swelling and restlessness in your legs and can also help delay the onset if you are prone to them.

Come join our walking group, The Coasters!

Walking For Pleasure every second Friday – Find Schedule here

The Benefits of Resistance Training

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Resistance training (also called strength training or weight training) is the use of resistance to muscular contraction to build the strength, anaerobic endurance and size of skeletal muscles. Resistance training is based on the principle that muscles of the body will work to overcome a resistance force when they are required to do so. When you do resistance training repeatedly and consistently, your muscles become stronger.

A well-rounded fitness program includes strength training to improve joint function, bone density, muscle, tendon and ligament strength, as well as aerobic exercise to improve your heart and lung fitness, flexibility and balance exercises. Australia’s physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines recommend that adults do muscle strengthening activities on at least two days each week.

Pilates Class on Mondays and Wednesdays

Examples of resistance training

There are many ways you can strengthen your muscles, whether at home or the gym.

Different types of resistance training include:

  • free weights – classic strength training tools such as dumbbells, barbells and kettlebells
  • medicine balls or sand bags – weighted balls or bags
  • weight machines – devices that have adjustable seats with handles attached either to weights or hydraulics
  • resistance bands – like giant rubber bands – these provide resistance when stretched. They are portable and can be adapted to most workouts. The bands provide continuous resistance throughout a movement
  • suspension equipment – a training tool that uses gravity and the user’s body weight to complete various exercises
  • your own body weight – can be used for squats, push-ups and chin-ups. Using your own body weight is convenient, especially when travelling or at work. 

Health benefits of resistance training

Physical and mental health benefits that can be achieved through resistance training include:

  • improved muscle strength and tone – to protect your joints from injury
  • maintaining flexibility and balance, which can help you remain independent as you age
  • weight management and increased muscle-to-fat ratio – as you gain muscle, your body burns more kilojoules when at rest
  • may help reduce or prevent cognitive decline in older people
  • greater stamina – as you grow stronger, you won’t get tired as easily
  • prevention or control of chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, back pain, depression and obesity
  • pain management
  • improved mobility and balance
  • improved posture
  • decreased risk of injury
  • increased bone density and strength and reduced risk of osteoporosis
  • improved sense of wellbeing – resistance training may boost your self-confidence, improve your body image and your mood
  • improved sleep and avoidance of insomnia
  • increased self-esteem
  • enhanced performance of everyday tasks.

At The Coast Centre, we offer:

  • Resistance training classes on Mondays and Wednesdays
  • Pilates classes on Mondays and Wednesdays
  • Tone & Tighten class on Tuesdays

Article extracted from here

Exercise at Any Age

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So you’ve slacked off a bit and avoided exercise. Maybe your job demands too much of your time or you simply fell out of the routine. I have news for you. Whether you’ve taken off one year, ten years or haven’t exercised a day in your life – it’s never too late to start. You see there are problems with living a life devoid of exercise. Big problems. Your weight rises along with your blood pressure and cholesterol. Your muscles and joints degenerate at an astounding rate leaving you with daily aches and pains. Your body becomes weak, making you susceptible to all kinds of medical issues.

Mind, Movement and Dance Class

Why Should I Start Now?

You’ve heard about the benefits that consistent exercise brings, but what if you haven’t been consistent? Should you even start at all? This has been the subject of many medical studies and the results are unanimous: Exercise helps improve your quality of life even if you start late. Researchers are constantly finding new benefits to consistent exercise. It’s no wonder that Dr. Robert Butler, of the National Institute on Aging, once said “If exercise could be put into a pill, it would be the single most prescribed medicine in the world.”

Imagine if a pill could offer all of these benefits (without harmful side effects):

  • Substantially reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and osteoporosis
  • Decreases the risk for stroke, colon cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure
  • Helps to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight
  • Contributes to healthy bones, muscles and joints
  • Helps relieve anxiety and depression
  • Promotes well-being and reduces stress
  • Is associated with fewer doctor visits, hospitalizations and medications
  • Helps prevent and treat chronic medical conditions associated with old age
  • Increases energy levels and promotes sound sleep
  • Strengthens immune system

Many people have started an exercise program only to quit days later. Now that you have decided that exercise may be worth your time after all, ensure your success with the following tips:

Make a Commitment
You know the meaning and value of a solid commitment. It’s in your blood. So don’t view exercise as something you will merely try. You will only reap the true benefits of exercise when you stick with it. A great way to reinforce your commitment is to solicit the support of your friends and family. Tell them how you plan to improve your health and quality of life through exercise – who knows, they may join you.

Set Reachable Goals
This is an immensely important ingredient to your success. Don’t start your exercise program with unreasonable expectations. If you expect to lose all of your unwanted pounds, drop your blood pressure and cure your joint pain all in one week then you will be sorely disappointed. Remember that it took years for your body to fall out of shape so it makes sense that it will take some time to regain it. The key to unlocking all of the benefits of exercise lies in one word: consistency.

Rearrange Your Schedule
As we age there is a tendency to become ‘stuck in our ways.’ Remind yourself that exercise is worth your time and then think long and hard about your daily schedule. The fact is that you do have time to lend toward exercise – you simply need to find it. Set aside 30-60 minutes for exercise and then stick with it.

Increase the Challenge
You should start your exercise program with the thought of easing into it. Since you haven’t exercised in awhile your body will need to build up strength and endurance. Consider a car that has been sitting in your garage for years. You wouldn’t turn it on and instantly slam down on the gas would you? You need to warm it up. However, this warm up period should not last forever. Your body has an amazing ability to adapt to new challenges and will grow complacent when asked to do the same exercises over and over. When your routine begins to feel easy take that as a hint to increase the challenge. Don’t let another day pass you by. You deserve the good life.

Mind, Movement and Dance Class – Thursdays from 10:30

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