photo by Petr Kratochvil (click image for more)

I work in an exercise rehabilitation clinic and prescribe hundreds of different types of exercises.

I believe in exercise.

photo by Paul Cooper (click image for more)

Yet I am surprised at how few adults in our society continue to play their favourite sport once they hit their 30’s and beyond. Usually, once the demands of family and work set in, they turn to mechanical treadmill and dumbbell routines. Fitness has officially become a “must do” and not a “I wanna do!” This is highly unfortunate and in the long term promotes increasing sedentary lifestyles.

One simple alternative is to play a sport as part of your fitness approach. There is far less routine in an individual or team sport than in a repetitive gym routine. Further, sports tend to use the body in a safer and more natural manner than many exercise machines and heavy weight workouts do. And they almost inevitably work the core muscles much more than most people’s weight lifting or cardio routine.

Everyone who already plays a sport should add sport-specific exercises to improve their performance.

photo by Anna Langova (click image for more)

That’s what the pros do. Yet most people who are not professional athletes usually do not see playing sports as a legitimate means of getting or staying fit.

Having thought about this, I’ve concluded that people assume they can go “all out” in the gym, but unless they are professionals,

there are no “all out” avenues for them in their beloved sport. Thankfully, this is is false.

With a 5 minute phone call to your local rec centre or YMCA, you will be shocked at how much friendly competition is available for the average joe.

I feel that because competition is missing from many individuals’ fitness lifestyle so is the natural motivation to do better and better. If you are willing to compete at something, the psychological and physical rewards increase tremendously. And please don’t get me wrong. I know how life can get crazy busy. You don’t have to join a league that comes with fees and a tight practice schedule, etc, etc.

photo by Peter Griffin (click image for more)

But you can join rec leagues that allow you to jump in and compete any time you are free.

My wife and I are raising and homeschooling 4 young children. I have my own practice and am involved at church. Yet 4 times per week my wife attends the YMCA and does a lot of TRX group classes. This group factor is an indirect but real form of competition. It is as much competition as she wants and so she thrives on it. It pushes her harder than solo workouts.

I have fallen in love with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I train under Adam Zugec at ZUMA. Whenever I show up I have the opportunity of getting friendly competition. The competitive element keeps my mind focused, gets me off my worries and I workout harder than I otherwise would without even noticing it! 

Whether it is swimming, racquet ball, tennis, hockey or a running group, the social and physical benefits of a group or competitive environment is available for the non-professional athletes. I highly recommend it.

“A walk a day keeps Alzheimer’s away!”

No joke.

A recent study by the Edinburgh University showed that people over 70 who walked during the week had less brain shrinkage then those who were sedentary. Researchers followed nearly 700 people for 3 years, performing before-and-after brain MRI’s to determine their findings.

The study also claimed that reading books or doing crossword puzzles does not seem to help as much as regular, non-strenuous exercise.

Seniors who walked during the week had less damage to the inner part of the brain (i.e.: the white matter) and they had more outer brain (i.e.: gray matter).

So it appears you can increase your brain size with even a mild form of regular exercise.

A Harvard Medical School article stated that a review of literature on depression examined evidence going back to 1981 and concluded that in younger and older patients with depression, regular walking was an effective treatment for emotional problems.

It appears something even as simple as daily walks can significantly enhance mental and emotional well being.

If you are simply starting out with an exercise program, walking 3 to 5 days per week is enough to see a boost in your brain’s health.

As time goes on, a good idea is to diversify your activities. Joining a local recreation centre offers access to swimming, weight lifting and other fitness activities. This keeps you interested and it keeps your brain and body adapting to new acitivities. Which increases the degree to which your brain grows and benefits from an active lifestyle.

So you see, it’s easy to make your brain healthy and stave off unwanted ailments!

Get out there and enjoy a nice walk today.