Jan Tabaka - health and fitness: physical activity

To keep the posts in order from the very beginning and to help you firstly understand what’s gonna come as the effect of exercising, switching into greater activity I will start with the most interesting and persuading advantages of it. I hope you will find it useful and helpful to make the right decision about your physical activity and on top of that it will also boost your motivation to keep you going for longer. Some of those benefits are well know, but some of them might not be pretty obvious for you.

• Why exercising is so crucial for us? What is it for? Should I exercise?

And here starts the essence of my blog Why? Because it’s the key element to our health and true fulfilment of our fitness level. Let me put it this way – it is far the best medicine ever known. It prevents from the vast majority of top (’n’ hot ) diseases and hence its lack is the greatest cause of them. We tend to so underestimate its ‘power’. Quite common is thinking, that if something is broken with our body then drugs or surgery will do. ‘My heart is out of order, fine – fix it!’. But very often (even if we are lucky to get new, transplanted heart) it doesn’t cure the problem, but only does fix the effect caused.

The real cure is to change/modify our lifestyle. It doesn’t have to be a huge resolution (like a New Year’s one) – small steps and milestones will do the job. Only they will bring us true and lasting success – i.e. health.

• So what are those advantages of physical activity and exercising?

Here is a relatively short list of the advantages and noticeable, positive changes once we switch into proper for us physical activity:

- Prevention from endless list of no-fun-diseases , e.g.: Coronary heart diseases, Pulmonary (lung) diseases, Diabetes, Cancers, Atherosclerosis, Obesity…

- better blood flow and circulation (lower blood pressure in aorties → lower risk of stroke, heart attack and heart diseases
- reduces level of bad cholesterol (LDL)
- faster post-exercise recovery (hence we will be recovering faster also after performing daily tasks: casual work, garden-work, playing with children, carrying shopping bags, walking upstairs, washing windows, hanging laundries etc. If you’re struggling with them right now, it’s high time to start activity that will prepare you to deal with them easily – if you let your body learn to deal with more demanding exercises those on daily basis wouldn’t be a problem for you to perform any more :))

- lessens muscles tension and constant fatigue/tiredness (esp. after sitting long hours at work, at home… our neck and backs might be tensed, which leads to its muscles fatigue and pain, which ain’t fun – we don’t want it, do we? )
- faster falling asleep and better, uninterrupted sleep – more efficient recovery whilst sleeping or taking a nap; our body learns that it needs to recover more efficient and faster, than it used to
effectively eases and lessens lower back pain! It does. Most of common low back pains can be cured and prevented by exercises that strengthens core muscles (plus corrects the faulty mechanics of joints between vertebrae), e.g. walking, jogging, running, swimming, yoga etc. and specific Core Stability exercises (Pilates or on a Swiss/Gymnastic Ball)

- improving general fitness which for instance allows us accompany our friends during team games, group trips and hiking in mountains - not being forced to refuse: sorry dude, I can’t make it, it’s too much for me, it’s just not for me… - or we can easier catch the bus or run away from dark-street-enemies much easier than an average sedentary-person. Put it simply: it’s easier for us to do some unexpected activities being still injury-free, because while the body learns to cope with more demanding tasks the daily ones become virtually a piece of cake
- boosted energy level and its management in our body becomes more efficient as well (stamina, endurance) – thus, even in spite of long-distance walking, running, Group Exercise Classes you will be capable to keep your mind fresh and also be able to do chores or whatever you usually do on top of that, because your body will store and manage life-fuel in more sufficient way to meet both physical and mental energy needs – not the way it happens in case of some people who don’t have energy for anything and always feel tired and exhausted especially after work in the office or ’struggling’ with going upstairs, carrying shopping bags etc. – after that they have no further vitality, whatsoever. When you regularly exercise the energy starts to be stored in greater amount in your muscles and liver as glycogen (not only as fat under your skin, in aorties, veins) in order to be used during the next exercise.
- appetite decreases during exercising and then it’s obviously harder to access any snacks or junk foods. It might motivate those who try to lose some weight and to prevent themselves from eating non-stop whatever they’ve got within their hand radius - so far I haven’t seen anybody jogging, swimming or playing golf with an opened bag of crisps, so it apparently works
- improving muscles work (their power, strength, endurance, hardness and size , innervation, blood and energy supply, exercise capacity, oxygenation, metabolic wastage transportation, regeneration after exercise, increasing energy storage – glycogen level) – as we get stronger our self-confidence also increases, which might be especially helpful in employer-employee or friendship relations (we are more prone to become an alpha men/girl ) or enemy threat, robbery etc. - awareness that we can defend ourselves in case we need to… helps us walk freely without any anxiety even after it gets dark – it does not make us walk with head down and dead fear of being attacked or robbed

- slowing down the osteoporosis (slowing down, not stopping once forever because osteoporosis is a natural process of bone density decrease after our peak bone mass – which occurs in our late 20’s – so we can only slow it down with appropriate exercises and prevent its adverse effects from occurring along with ageing)
- the threshold of dependence is postponed by even 30year ! It means that you will NOT need any special help and care from other people, equipment, impairments (to help you get up from a chair, bed, assist you whilst dressing, eating, washing, there will be no need to walk with a cane, crunches, trucks, lifts, swallow a bunch of pills every morning, apply lots of gels, ointments, analgesics, pain-killers etc.) You will be healthy enough to perform daily tasks independently! You don’t and won’t have to for instance seat down on the bus, because your legs are too weak to let you stay all the way if you wish – we want to be able to choose, not be forced to take only one option.
- Decrease in fear from falling (mainly regards elderly people) – by exercising you will gain confidence to walk out of fear of losing your balance on snowy, icy, wet pavements or covered with fallen leaves or due to bumpy terrain, some inclines etc. If you regularly exercise you will be confident to walk freely regardless of the weather and general outside-conditions

- it is a factor which makes you feel good Frankly, feeling a pleasure, satisfaction and happiness during or straight after exercising is totally natural because along with an increase of physical exertion of your body the endorphins (basically, happiness hormones) are released. What’s interesting is the fact that they are the same hormones that kick in when you are in love – this is what really makes you feel elation and euphoria
- pain ceases – while exercising our body exerts endorphins which also act like pain-killers (pretty much as strong and efficient as morphines, however much safer for us ), so even triathletes or cyclist finishing Tour de France don’t feel so much pain, exhaustion – they’d rather feel euphoria due to those really ‘powerful’ endorphins… don’t you just love them for that
- Builds up your self-image (body image) and self-perception (and self-confidence as well). By appropriate exercising we can change our posture, muscularity (add and lose a few inches here and there ), lose some weights (burn calories and deplete an excessive store of adipose tissue/Body Fat), become more fit and look more healthy (not as ‘fluffy’, pinky, achy, stick-in-the-mud…but contrary - strong, fit, healthy and self-confident alpha male/girl ) - hence our psychology also changes positively. If you struggling with ‘I-am-total-loser’ thoughts then exercising can definitely help you What’s more – you wanna be as slim as Angelina Jolie or as muscular as Arnold Schwarzeneger used to be? There is the answer and now you know it – proper physical activity
- effective way to build up and strengthen your strong will to keep yourself going in spite of obstacles, problems that you have to face and challenge in daily life (in your relationships, businesses or when bureaucracy freaks us out ).
- Reduce work absenteeism to illness – those who regularly exercise take as many as 73% less off-sick days from work.
- and much much more – the list is virtually endless. Every specialist form health profession (sport scientist, neurologist, physiotherapist, optician, orthopaedic, oncologist, general practitioner etc.) or psychiatrist, sociologist and so on… is able to create their own benefits-of-exercising list.

What’s also worth mentioning is that physical activity is very relaxing way to get recharged after working day or standard mama-duties or other stressful situations (job interviews, exams, public speeches, having fight with your boss, wife etc.)

It helps you get some air into your lungs, gets rid of toxins accumulated in your body and basically bring back the natural balance (to find a peace on the Earth ), which is nowadays so often distorted and disrupted. For centuries it’s been known that our body works best when it’s properly balanced – there is the right amount of physical and mental activity, no tension, no stress, no depression, no anxiety, good blood pressure, right amount of oxygen in muscles etc.

Basically, live in natural and friendly environment – it’s only some ‘modern invention’ to spend vast majority of our time in closed spaces, rooms and all that kind of stuff – no time to do sports, to move just a little bit or go outside from time to time. Hence, the rainbow of ‘trendy’ diseases arises You want to bring back your proper and natural balance (so you could simply feel good and stay healthy) – START EXERCISING (start right know: slowly but surely ).

It doesn’t have to cost anything – you can start dancing, walking, get more active with your kids, do home-exercises or invest a little (not as much as you would have to pay for treatment and so on due to neglecting your physicalness, not to mention your comfort and quality of life) and join a gym, group exercise classes, fight art courses, swim in a pool, play regularly team games with a bunch of friends – do anything. It’s all about getting started - once you made it it’s easier to continue and keep yourself going, be active

All right – that’s enough of theoretic ‘lecture’ Now it’s up to you what are going to do with that. Whether you find the reason(s) to exercise and boost your motivation to get active and enjoy it or you will give a crap about it – as long as your decision is reasonable and conscious it’s fine

Stay strong and active
JT

PS I’d appreciate any comments – there’s a space for you to teach me something, share your knowledge, experience, thoughts about the post… just feel free Cheers

Hi all!

I am pleased to announce that an extraordinary blog is about to come Blog about physical activity, nutrition, self-development and self-motivation… - all together combined, using that holistic approach I will help you point out/find what is that really contributes to your true fulfilment in this extraordinary life

A few words of acknowledgement: I’m not going to share with you my broke-ups, depressions or simply reminding you every time that live sucks If you eager to read such blogs and get miserable every time you read that then mine might not be the best option for you, but – if you want to find out how you can become more active, get fit, lose some weight, feel good in your own skin, improve your body-image or work on your motivation that is going to bring a lot of fulfilment in your daily life, then go for my blog

I am going to promote physical activity, encourage you to do sports you like, exercise in a convenient way – changing your perception of performing exercise – not thinking of it as a horror every time you exercise, but as a good way of entertaining yourself (especially with a bunch of friends) in active way in order to meet challenges of daily life: not to feel miserable or beaten every time you’re struggling with shopping bags, going upstairs, trying to catch your a bus or even having to let down your kids (honey, it’s too much for me; I can’t make it; that’s enough for today; not with my backs…).

I simply know, that there is a cure out there – switching into healthy - physical - activity (it’s the best medicine ever known – IT IS!). It doesn’t cost much, doesn’t require a lot of effort or waiting till the end of December to ‘make a big resolution’. In my blog I’m going to emphasise that you can start this ‘resolution’ right know – using your Power of Momentum – the moment you decide to change something in your life. Take action (even a small step) towards your goal right now! If you postpone that this time, then you will waste your ‘momentum’ and virtually never achieve your goal.

So, I will give you something from me and, on the other hand, I will be expecting you to share this a little bit from you – leave me some feedback, describe why you think my methods are not going to work, how come you would alter/modify them, which ones suit you best and so on. If you use some methods, hints and progress – tell me about it, so I could gain experience and make this headway right with you

OK – let’s go and enjoy!

Welcome everybody on board,
Jan Tabaka