Leisure Special

According to the recent research, just five minutes of exercise a day in the great outdoors can improve mental health and policymakers should encourage more people to spend time in parks and gardens. They found out that as little as five minutes of a “green activity” such as walking, gardening, cycling or farming can boost mood and self esteem.

“We believe that there would be a large potential benefit to individuals, society and to the costs of the health service if all groups of people were to self-medicate more with green exercise,” Barton said in a statement about the study, which was published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Many studies have shown that outdoor exercise can reduce the risk of mental illness and improve a sense of well-being, but Jules Pretty and Jo Barton, who led this study, said that until now no one knew how much time needed to be spent on green exercise for the benefits to show. They both looked at data from 1,252 people of different ages, genders and mental health status taken from 10 existing studies in Britain. Analyzing the activities such as walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming.

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Finding an exercise fitness program is not as easy as you might think. First, everyone has busy lives. We have school, jobs, spouses, family, children and their activities. We have work responsibilities, lawns that need mowing and children who have to get to the dentist. Finding the time to JOIN a gym, never mind actually work out at one can be difficult and require a level of commitment that some are either unwilling or unable to make.

But our lives really do depend on us being fit. While being in shape certainly does not guarantee good health, it has been shown to be beneficial in many areas. And being in shape certainly comes in handy when the escalator is broken at the mall. Or the elevator up to your 6th floor apartment is not working again. So finding an exercise fitness program that works for you is important for everyone.

There is also the matter of self esteem. I know that when I lose those pesky 5 pounds that I seem to love to gain and lose, I feel much better about myself. When I can fit into my skinny jeans, I really do have a skip in my step. Looking good and feeling good is certainly related. Does that mean that all overweight people are miserable? Of course not! It does mean that when you are fit and healthy you feel good about yourself and your life.

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Choosing to exercise regularly at least three times per week results in numerous health benefits, old adage ‘use it or lose it’ definitely applies to exercising on a regular basis. When you neglect to engage in a scheduled exercise routine, your muscles become flabby and your heart and lungs struggle to perform. If you want to lose weight, cutting calories is only half the battle. Exercise firms your body and gives you the toned, fit appearance you want.

The benefit of regular exercise includes:

• Lowered body fat, which helps you to avoid conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cancer.
• Improved circulation, resulting in a healthier heart and blood vessels with a more efficient cardiovascular system overall.
• More stamina, building your body up over time so that it uses less energy to perform the same tasks.
• Enhanced flexibility, giving you a better ability to bend, twist and reach without injury, as well as improving your overall balance and coordination.
• Strengthening and toning your entire body for greater strength and endurance and better posture.
• Elevated endorphins to give you a better quality of life by reducing stress so that you sleep better and feel better.

Several people like bike exercise just because it is fun. However, you might want to stop and consider the health benefits of an exercise bike. Biking is a great aerobic, calorie burning activity that is fun and exciting, you will definitely escape boredom. Exercising with a bike can be done in different ways, it might be an enjoyable, leisurely ride throughout your town or it might be riding through the woods, on a trail of course, to get your heart pumping.

What is great about an exercise bike is that you can get fit, without ever feeling like you are working out. Many people become so bored with traditional workouts such as using the treadmill or lighting weights, and feel like they are doing nothing but exercising. When you experience biking, you can ride anywhere you want and feel like you are achieving something. You can ride to the store or go to visit a friend for an hour or two. Another great thing is that boredom does not usually exist, since you can change the destination or route at any time.

Biking is a great way to get out and seek new adventures. You never really know what you might experience while on a bike ride. Because the outside world is constantly changing, you may get to see sights you would not otherwise see while at the gym or in the car.

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On-practitioners often accuse Yoga practitioners of too much self-indulgence. The common concern is that too much self-awareness will cause the Yogi, or Yogini, to worship the inner being. Before you get too excited – you and I know this is not true, but the world needs some time to adjust to Yogic philosophy.

You are thinking: “How can the world need more time? Yoga has been around for over 5,000 years and that is plenty of time for people to adjust. The answers must be found within, and then projected outward.”

This is true, but warfare, ignorance, and intolerance have been around longer than Yoga. As a species, we have become much better with systems for the common good of humankind, but we have also become more efficient at suppressing our neighbors and killing each other.

What can a Yogi do to help? Allow friends, family, and associates, their space, and do not speak harshly of any religion or culture. We know that Yoga practitioners are from many religions, and some have no religion at all. It would be fair to say the majority of today’s Hatha Yoga practitioners are not Hindus.

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The most important thing to take on holiday is you – in the best health possible. If you’ve been putting off a dental check-up or any other routine medical matters, consider dealing with these before you leave.

You may want to select items for a custom-built first aid kit depending on your own needs and the sort of holiday you are going on. But a typical one might contain:

• Plasters or adhesive dressings
• Insect repellent
• Antiseptic cream
• Water sterilization tablets
• Anti-diarrhea tablets
• Oral rehydration tablets or powders
• Painkillers
• Calamine lotion
• Sunblock

Emergency medical travel kits are available, containing sealed, sterilized items such as needles, syringes and suture materials. Your local travel center can advise you further. These kits should carry identification to ensure customs officials accept them, but the contents shouldn’t be opened.

Basically, traveling is a refreshing and revitalizing. It is a psychological necessity, especially for people who has stressful jobs. In this society nowadays, many people suffer tremendous stress at work. Relaxing at home during the weekends is insufficient for some to unwind. Taking periodic vacation trips reap better results for them. The vacation trip helps to recharge their batteries and enable them to handle better the stress they experience at work. After the break, they feel more energize to return to work. For many working adults, regular getaways help them sustain their energy and vitality they require for their work. Without these breaks, they may suffer the consequence of work burn out.

Traveling provide opportunities for us to share our happiness with our friends and family. When we travel with our friends and family, we create memories that would last a lifetime. It is indeed a joyful thing to share the experience of a special trip with those we love. Giving them a wonderful traveling experience far outweighs the benefit of buying presents for them. Goods have a limited life span, whereas memories last forever.

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