{"id":5493,"date":"2017-11-01T18:31:49","date_gmt":"2017-11-01T22:31:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.willclower.com\/blog\/?p=5493"},"modified":"2019-06-13T22:07:40","modified_gmt":"2019-06-14T02:07:40","slug":"a-harvard-doctor-says-blah-blah-blah-your-body","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=5493","title":{"rendered":"A Harvard doctor says blah blah blah your body"},"content":{"rendered":"

I read this article (below, originally pubbed here<\/a>) because it had the word ‘Harvard’ in the title. We have this knee-jerk to leap — somehow leaping was NOT listed as one of the 5 best exercises for your body — to this conclusion right away.<\/p>\n

But then immediately did a back flip reversal because back flip didn’t make the list either! HARvard? HARvard? Why do we dance to their two-step tune like a bunch of jumping jacks — and yeah, how do such smart people miss dancing and jumping jacks?<\/p>\n

But I think my concern was skating on thin ice because, after reading through each of these on the list, it turns out that there are some good ideas cycling through. So by the end, I was glad I sat up, pulled up this article so I can say Plank You Very Much HARvard, for this informative little exercise in exercise appreciation.<\/p>\n

___________________________<\/p>\n

If you think running a marathon is the quickest ticket to a rock-hard body,\u00a0I-Min Lee<\/a>, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, has news for you: That classic feat isn’t as good for your body as it seems.<\/p>\n

Instead of long-distance running, which can be hard on your joints\u00a0and digestive system<\/a>, Lee recommends five other types of workouts. They\u00a0generate benefits that range from weight loss and muscle building to protecting your heart and brain and strengthening your bones.<\/p>\n

The findings are detailed in a\u00a0Harvard Medical School health report called “Starting to Exercise<\/a>” which recommends some of the best exercises for your body.<\/p>\n

Here they are.<\/p>\n

1. Swimming<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

“You might call swimming the perfect workout,” write the authors of the\u00a0Harvard Healthbeat newsletter<\/a>, which summarizes the report’s key takeaways and gives insight from Lee.<\/p>\n

In addition to working nearly every muscle in your body, swimming can\u00a0raise your heart rate to improve heart health and protect the brain<\/a>\u00a0from age-related decline. Plus, being afloat makes this type of exercise nearly strain-free. “Swimming is good for individuals with arthritis because it’s less weight-bearing,” Lee said in the newsletter.<\/p>\n

When you swim regularly for at least 30 to 45 minutes at a time, you’re doing aerobic exercise \u2014 a type of workout that\u00a0a spate of recent research suggests<\/a>\u00a0could help battle depression, lift your mood, and reduce stress, among other benefits.<\/p>\n

2. Tai chi<\/h2>\n

Tai chi \u2014 also called tai chi chuan \u2014 is a Chinese martial art that combines a\u00a0series of graceful, flowing movements<\/a>\u00a0to create a sort of moving meditation. The exercise is performed slowly and gently with a high degree of focus and a special attention paid to breathing deeply.\u00a0Since practitioners go at their own pace, tai chi is accessible for a wide variety of people \u2014 regardless of age or fitness level.<\/p>\n

Tai chi “is particularly good for older people because balance is an important component of fitness, and balance is something we lose as we get older,” Lee said.<\/p>\n

3. Strength training<\/h2>\n

At its most basic, strength training involves using weight to create resistance against the pull of gravity. That weight can be your own body, free weights like barbells or dumbbells, elastic bands, or weighted ankle cuffs.<\/p>\n

You don’t need equipment to do strength training.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Research suggests you can use either\u00a0heavy weights and a small number of reps or lighter weights and more reps<\/a>\u00a0to build stronger, more sturdy muscles.<\/p>\n

Chris Jordan, the exercise physiologist who came up with the\u00a0viral 7-minute workout<\/a>\u00a0(officially called the “Johnson & Johnson Official 7 Minute Workout”),\u00a0told Business Insider<\/a>\u00a0that healthy adults should incorporate resistance training on two to three of the four to five days per week that they work out.<\/p>\n

You can also use high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which combines the cardiovascular benefits of cycling or running with resistance training, to achieve the same or\u00a0similar results<\/a>. If you like HIIT, the\u00a07-minute workout is a great place to start<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Whichever workout you try, the most important thing is to keep doing it.<\/p>\n

“To achieve results, consistency is key,” Jordan said.<\/p>\n

4. Walking<\/h2>\n

It might sound insignificant, but walking can be powerful medicine.<\/p>\n

Several studies suggest that walking for at least 30 minutes \u2014 even at a moderate or leisurely pace \u2014 can have benefits\u00a0for the brain and body. One recent study found that in adults ages 60 to 88,\u00a0walking for 30 minutes four days a week<\/a>\u00a0for 12 weeks appeared to strengthen connectivity in a region of the brain where weakened connections have been linked with memory loss. And a\u00a0pilot study<\/a>\u00a0in people with severe depression found that just 30 minutes of treadmill walking for 10 consecutive days was “sufficient to produce a clinically relevant and\u00a0statistically significant<\/a>\u00a0reduction in depression.”<\/p>\n

If you don’t currently exercise regularly, the folks at Harvard recommend starting your walking routine with 10-15 minute treks and building up to 30 or 60-minute hikes.<\/p>\n

5. Kegel exercises<\/h2>\n

Kegel exercises are important for both men and women because they help to strengthen a group of muscles commonly referred to as the “pelvic floor.” As we age, these muscles \u2014 which include\u00a0the uterus, bladder, small intestine, and rectum \u2014 can start to weaken. But keeping them resilient can have important benefits, ranging from\u00a0preventing embarrassing accidents like bladder leakage<\/a>\u00a0to the accidental passing of gas.<\/p>\n

The right way to do kegels involves squeezes the muscles you’d use to hold in urine or gas, according to the folks at Harvard. They recommend holding the contraction for two to three seconds, releasing, and repeating 10 times. For the best results, do them four to five times a day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I read this article (below, originally pubbed here) because it had the word ‘Harvard’ in the title. We have this knee-jerk to leap — somehow leaping was NOT listed as … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[494],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/iStock-622003802.jpg?fit=1254%2C836&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Qv5g-1qB","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9995,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=9995","url_meta":{"origin":5493,"position":0},"title":"The 100% Legit, Wacked Out, Never-Saw-This-Coming Impacts of Exercise","author":"Will Clower","date":"June 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"We're doing this a week long series because exercise is good for you, blah blah blah we know this. 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It Matters Not.","author":"Will Clower","date":"July 28, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Cold brew\u00a0coffee\u2014made by steeping coffee grounds in cold water for typically an entire day\u2014is just as healthy as regular coffee, according to nutrition expert\u00a0Frank Hu of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The health benefits associated with coffee drinking\u2014decreased risk of developing type 2\u00a0diabetes,\u00a0heart disease, neurodegenerative disease, and dying\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1998,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=1998","url_meta":{"origin":5493,"position":2},"title":"Video: How Harvard Disses Dairy … and WHY?","author":"Will Clower","date":"January 16, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The USDA has been producing dietary guidelines for about 100 years now.\u00a0The picture has gone from a PIE, to a square, to a pyramid, to a \"rainbow pyramid\", to a circular plate.\u00a0In this interview, I talk about how this change happened, WHY it happened, and the controversy around it. \u00a0I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.boston.com\/Boston\/rf\/image_835w\/Boston\/2011-2020\/2011\/09\/14\/Boston.com\/HealthScience\/Images\/Healthy%20Eating%20Plate.JPG?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2726,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2726","url_meta":{"origin":5493,"position":3},"title":"Exercise on the Brain","author":"Will Clower","date":"August 26, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Do it. Find something. Something that you can love that makes you move, and do that.Being active does a lot of things for your heart, and for your circulatory system. In essence, it keeps the pipes clean. Here is a great summary from Harvard if you want to read more.Your\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12861,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=12861","url_meta":{"origin":5493,"position":4},"title":"Foods That Boost Brain Power","author":"Will Clower","date":"February 13, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Harvard lists these 5 Fab Foods as those that can help boost your brain power. Keep in mind that these foods aren't magic, you won't suddenly glow, turn into Einstein or Tony Stark, or be recruited as a Super Hero by the Justice League. 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