What lowers your risk considerably for all causes of death?
Half an hour of muscle strengthening activity such as:
- lifting weights
- push-ups
- heavy gardening
each week could help reduce the risk of dying from any cause by as much as a fifth, according to a new global analysis of studies conducted over three decades.
Health guidelines recommend muscle strengthening activities, primarily because of the benefits for musculoskeletal health. Previous research has indicated a link to a lower risk of death, but until now experts did not know what the optimal “dose” might be. The analysis found that 30 to 60 minutes of muscle strengthening activity every week is linked to a 10% to 20% lower risk of death from all causes, and from heart disease and cancer. The results were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. There was no conclusive evidence that more than an hour a week of muscle strengthening reduced the risk any further.
UK physical activity guidelines say muscle strengthening activities can include carrying heavy shopping bags, yoga, pilates, tai chi, lifting weights, working with resistance bands, doing exercises that use your own body weight such as push-ups and sit-ups, heavy gardening such as digging and shovelling, wheeling a wheelchair or lifting and carrying children.
It is recommended adults do strengthening activities working all the major muscle groups at least two days a week as well as doing at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity each week. The researchers found people reap the most benefits when they regularly do both.
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Is it time you considered a digital detox?
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Natural ways to reduce anxiety – Part 3
What I want to share with you know is probably the simplest and easiest method of reducing anxiety, you can do it anywhere and it costs nothing. Its called breathing. Yes I know we do it all the time. But when you get anxious we begin to breathe rapidly and shallowly from our upper chest. This breathing breath from your upper chest is why you get tight neck muscles as they can get overused as they help to move the top rib we breathing. What I am talking about is breathing deeply or calm breathing.
Calming Breath- Take a long, slow breath in through your nose, first filling your lower lungs - put your hand on your belly and you should feel it move out as your breath in. Then breath into your upper lungs.
- Hold your breath to the count of "three."
- Exhale slowly through pursed lips, while you relax the muscles in your face, jaw, shoulders, and stomach.
- heart rate slows
- blood pressure decreases
- muscle tension decreases
- growing sense of ease in body, calmness in mind
