Month: February 2019

Does Coffee Cause High Blood Pressure?

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Get your Brew On

Is a trip to Starbucks part of your daily ritual? It is for many people, male and female alike. Fortunately, recent studies show drinking coffee has health benefits. For example, coffee drinkers enjoy a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes, and gallstones. Some studies even link coffee consumption with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. But what if you have high blood pressure? Coffee contains caffeine and one concern is the caffeine in coffee may cause a rise in blood pressure. What does science say about coffee drinking and hypertension? After all, it could be the substance that is preventing from reaching your blood pressure goal.

How Coffee Affects Your Heart and Blood Vessels

When you drink a cup of caffeinated coffee, it stimulates your sympathetic nervous system, also known as the fight-or-flight system. This is the division of your nervous system that speeds up your heart rate and gets you ready to fight off a predator or escape! That comes in handy in certain situations.

One reason coffee wakes you up and makes you more alert is because it elicits this fight or flight response. However, if you’re a habitual coffee drinker, you become somewhat desensitized and feel less jittery and hyped up unless you drink more.

The caffeine in coffee also causes blood vessels to narrow briefly after you drink it. When your blood vessels clamp down, it causes a temporary rise in blood pressure. Usually, this effect is brief. The rise in blood pressure is more pronounced if you aren’t a regular coffee drinker. In fact, one study found that getting the caffeine equivalent of 1.5 to 2 cups of coffee raised blood pressure by 8 mmHg (systolic) and 6 mmHg (diastolic).

The bump up in blood pressure lasts for up to 3 hours after drinking coffee. For most people, this transient increase in blood pressure isn’t dangerous. However, it could be a problem for people who have poorly controlled hypertension.

Can Coffee Raise Blood Pressure Longer Term?

If you drink a lot of coffee, especially if you’re not a regular coffee drinker, it could trigger a rise in stress hormones, including cortisol and adrenalin. According to some studies, cortisol can remain higher for up to 12 hours after drinking large amounts of caffeine. Cortisol causes the body to retain sodium and this leads to a more persistent rise in blood pressure. If you combine excessive coffee intake with other factors such as lack of sleep or stress, coffee may cause a sustained rise in blood pressure. On the plus side, coffee drinkers develop some tolerance over time and cortisol levels don’t rise as much when they drink their daily brew.

Coffee and the Risk of Developing Hypertension

The fact that coffee causes a short-term rise in blood pressure sounds ominous, especially if you’re at risk of developing hypertension due to family history. But consider this. Studies also link consumption of coffee (4 or more cups daily with a lower risk of developing high blood pressure.

Why might this be? It may relate to the other components in coffee. Coffee is the number one source of antioxidants in the American diet due to its high polyphenol content. Polyphenols have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity and may counter the blood pressure raising effects of the caffeine.

In fact, some studies show that polyphenols improve blood vessel function. One consequence of this is the arteries that carry blood open up wider and blood pressure drops. Remember, you become somewhat tolerant to the effects of caffeine, so it’s less likely to trigger a rise in blood pressure after you drink it for a while. However, you don’t develop tolerance to the beneficial effects of the polyphenols in coffee. Therefore, once you become a habitual coffee drinker, your blood pressure can drop to the effects of the polyphenols in coffee.

The Bottom Line

Caffeine causes a temporary rise in blood pressure in some people. This effect lasts several hours before blood pressure returns to normal. Some people who have poorly controlled hypertension may have a sharper or more sustained rise in blood pressure. There needs to be more studies looking at this.

Also, if you consume excessive amounts of caffeine and experience a rise in cortisol, blood pressure can remain high for up to 12 hours afterward. But, as a whole, drinking coffee doesn’t increase the risk of developing high blood pressure and may modestly reduce the risk. The best way to see how your blood pressure responds to caffeine is to take it every hour for a few hours after you consume a few cups of coffee and record the values. Save them and show your physician on your next visit.

There are also genetic differences in how quickly people break down caffeine and this can impact blood pressure as well. So, know what your blood pressure readings are when you drink caffeinated beverages, including coffee. Fortunately, they’re easy to monitor!

References:

Northwestern Medicine News Center. “Coffee Consumption Linked to Lower Risk of Death”

HealthLine.com. “Does Coffee Raise Your Blood Pressure?”

Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy. Volume 15, 2017 – Issue 3.

Psychosom Med. 2005; 67(5): 734-739.doi: 10.1097/01.psy.0000181270.20036.06.

Medscape Family Medicine. “Higher Coffee Intake Tied to Lower Mortality Risk”

 

 

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What To Do If You Hate Running

Hate Running? Then Ruck On Baby

For many people, running is the worst punishment imaginable. In fact, it’s an activity that coaches like to actually dole out as punishment. However, it’s a popular exercise because of its ability to shred large amounts of calories, burn fat and increase your cardiac and respiratory function. While  running is great for making you high, it’s not so great for your knees and joints. Running is a high impact exercise, and can be damaging to your joints over long periods of time. This is particularly true for people who are overweight, as the added stress of weightcan do serious damage to your joints. It’s not recommended for people with joint disease.

If you had a recent heart attack, uncontrolled diabetes, uncontrolled high blood pressure, COPD, Heart Failure, aneurysm, irregular heart rate or angina you have a good excuse not to run.

Fortunately there are other options that can offer you the same benefits without the distress.

Interested in a lower impact exercise that can burn a comparable number of calories? Then rucking might be for you. This exercise originally developed from military training routines of slogging a heavy pack for miles can shred fat fast, and all you need is a backpack and some weights.

What do you need for rucking?

Getting started with rucking is easy. In fact, it’s so easy you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it years ago. All you need is a backpack and some weight to add to it. The type of weights people add vary, and it can really just be anything you have lying around. People who ruck a lot for fitness tend to use sandbag weights since they’re softer. However, you can also use hand weights or whatever you have laying around.

If you’ll be rucking with around 20 pounds or so, then any old backpack will probably do, but if you plan to ruck using 40 pounds or above, then you may need to invest in a heavy-duty frame backpack. These are popular with hikers and most outdoor goods stores should have them available.

How To Plan a Rucking Routine

Start with about 20 pounds and go from there

Most people start with around 20 pounds of weight. Find something you can use that weighs this amount and fit it securely into your pack. If you’re using something like hand weights, wrap them up in a towel or a jacket to keep them from digging into your back. Many long-term Rucking enthusiasts will use sandbags for this reason because they’re soft.

Secure your backpack straps properly

When carrying a load it’s important to secure that load properly to your body to avoid strain on your shoulders. Remember how you used to slouch your backpack to look cool in high school? Don’t do that unless you want to hurt yourself. Cinch the straps to a comfortable level so the weight is evenly distributed. Your shoulders shouldn’t hurt, and you should be able to securely fasten the chest strap, which hopefully you have because it helps a lot to keep things situated properly.

Walk

Then just go for a walk. It really is as simple as that. You can take a walk around your block, you can go walk in the park, or you can even walk on the treadmill and watch Netflix in the comfort of your living room if you want. You can start at any pace that is comfortable for you, but it’s best to keep it at 4 MPH or less in order to reduce the risk of injury. You don’t want to be running or jogging with your pack as it adds strain to your knees and joints. 3.5 MPH is a pretty comfortable speed which also allows for good calorie burn.

How many calories can I burn rucking?

There aren’t many calculators out there that are rucking friendly, but to get an estimate of your calorie burn you can use a normal walking calculator. When it asks for your body weight, just add your ruck weight to that number. You’ll find that you should be able to squeeze significantly more calories out of a plain old walking routine this way. A 170-pound person walking 3.5 MPH for 1 hour will burn about 689 calories. If you add a 30-pound ruck into the equation, you’d burn 881 calories for the same amount of time.

Why you need to continue to add weight

People who weigh more burn more calories for the same activities. As you lose weight you’ll need to add more weight to your pack to accomplish the same amount of calorie burn. You could of course also ruck for longer as your endurance increases. Just keep in mind when you’re tracking your calories that if you lose 10 pounds that you will not be burning the same amount that you did when you started and adjust your entries accordingly.

Why rucking is way more fun than running

Rucking allows you to go places and explore, but it also allows you to be more sociable. Trying to talk to somebody while running is impossible, but it’s easy to share a conversation with a friend while you ruck through a beautiful state park.

It can also be convenient, and if you do a lot of work in front of a computer, then you can use your break time to walk around and get some exercise. Backpacks are rather inconspicuous, and nobody is likely to inquire about it. You could even walk all over town while burning extra calories if you wanted to.

Even people who are otherwise not in very good shape or have injuries which keep them from performing vigorous exercise could walk with some weight added. This makes rucking an awesome way to inspire people to be more fit, even if they generally hate exercising.

Sitting Too Long Health Effects

Precisely how sedentary are we?

You may think you live a safe and healthy life – you look twice before crossing the street, eat the right foods, and carve half an hour every evening for a few burpees. But you might be surprised to learn that we all engage in one particularly dangerous activity daily: sitting.

We spend a lot of time sitting without knowing it. If you start tracking how much time you spend sitting, you will quickly realize that you spend most of you waking hours seated. Why are we sitting so much? Is it because we have to?

We sit at church, work, school, traveling and while we socialize. Our ideal job is one that allows us to sit in a nice office.

Due to the advances  in technology we have more white-collar jobs. With the rise of the white-collar jobs, TV, gaming, and social media more and more people are spending most of their time on their butt staring at a screen. Our time off is spent binge watching our favorite show and minding other people’s business on social media.

Because we are so glued to the screen, we can run our lives from our phone using all the available apps that were created to make our lives easier. We have an app for everything from eating to driving. With the touch of a few key strokes breakfast, lunch and dinner can be delivered to our front door.

Even our groceries can be delivered to us . Therefore it’s unnecessary to browse the isles of the grocery store.We spend a significant amount of time on our feet when we grocery shop but with grocery delivery services there is no longer a need to go the grocery store .

Who doesn’t look forward to just doing and thinking about nothing. After a long day at work and commuting we cannot wait to get home to chillax on the couch and watch TV. If we repeat this routine 5 out of the 7 days in a week then we have become accustomed to a lifestyle that will lead us on the path of health-related issues caused by inactivity.

While at first, this may not seem like such a bad thing, sitting for extended periods of time can pose some serious health problems. Some are equivalent to smoking

What are the dangers of sitting?

Throughout the years, studies have established a strong link between prolonged sitting and health issues like hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and anxiety, as well as early death. .

For one, those who sit down for extended periods of time every day tend to have less active lifestyles. Research has also shown that people who sit down for long periods of time are at an elevated risk of developing high blood pressure and its complication such as heart disease, stroke and kidney failure

When you’re sitting for long periods of time, your muscles burn less fat, and the blood flow becomes more sluggish; this makes it easier for fat deposits to clog the arteries and the heart.

Additionally, prolonged sitting has been linked to an over productive pancreas, the organ that produces insulin – a hormone implicated in diabetes. When you’re idle and sitting, your muscles aren’t as sensitive to the insulin as the active muscles are, which may lead to your pancreas producing more and more, thus increasing your risk of diabetes.

Chronic sitters tend to suffer from muscle degeneration in the abs (when you stand or move around, it is your abdominal muscles that make sure you stand upright), tight hips and limp glutes, as well as poor circulation in the legs. And let’s not forget the constant ache in the neck and the back, which could be traced back to sitting. The aches and pains that you get from sitting for prolonged periods of time squashes the soft discs between the vertebrae of the spine which makes your back more inflexible and could lead to disk damage.

Another problem that can develop is Deep Vein Thrombosis. Deep Vein Thrombosis occurs when blood clot form in the veins of your leg due to sluggish blood flow. While not inherently lethal, DVT can travel to the lungs and turn into a real emergency. Known as Pulmonary Emboli. As if that weren’t scary enough for you, while many who suffer from DVT will feel swelling and pain in the legs, it’s entirely possible to not show any symptoms whatsoever.

Another risk of sitting for too long is a heightened risk of cancer, studies show that the longer someone sits, the higher their chance of developing endometrial, colon, or lung cancer.

Lastly, sitting takes away your energy. Have ever noticed that the more you sit there more tired you become? While sitting can temporarily relieve a achy foot it won’t give you energy.

What about exercise?

Many think that although they sit for many hours a day, their daily exercise routine counteracts the risks it brings; this, however, is untrue. While there are plenty health benefits of exercise, sitting for extended periods of time can counteract much of the health benefits exercise brings.

The troublesome news is that similarly to smoking, the detrimental effects of sitting cannot be neutralized with exercise. A recent review of 43 studies found that people with a sedentary lifestyle had a 20-30% higher risk of developing different forms of cancer, regardless of whether – and how much – they exercised.

This could be due to the fact that your body consumes energy in vastly different ways when you’re sitting and standing. It is commonly thought that excessive sitting slows down your metabolism. If you’re parked behind a desk for the better part of the day, chances are you’re only burning up to 300 calories a day, compared to a coffee shop barista, who’s on their can burn up to 1,300 calories throughout their shift!

Will All the Chronic Sitters Please Stand Up

For most of us, especially those with an office job, the sedentary lifestyle is non-negotiable. The good news is that you can still prevent many of the health issues associated with prolonged sitting. All you have to do is carve some time for physical activity throughout the day, ideally by reducing your sitting time.

What you can do to build more activity into your day:

• Stand on the train or the bus, or walk or cycle instead of going by car

• Forget the lift: take the stairs and walk up the escalators

• Consider a standing desk

• Walk around the office during your coffee or tea break

• Get off the bus one or two stops earlier and walk home the rest of the way

 

Does Sleep Apnea Cause High Blood Pressure?

Do you need a sleep study?

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a chronic condition that manifests itself in your activities of daily living without you realizing it. If you have high blood pressure, constant daytime sleepiness or your energy level is low sleep apnea might be the culprit agent. However, not everyone who experiences these symptoms requires a sleep study.

Facts about Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

• Obesity is major risk factor

• Affects 10% of women and 25% of men (Weeks Jr).

• Rates are increasing due to increase rate of obesity

• 40-60% of patient with cardiovascular disease is affected by OSA

• Gold standard treatment is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)

Don’t Hold Your Breath

When you are hospitalized and connected to monitoring equipment, sleep apnea can be easily be observed just by looking at your respiratory rate,  pulse rate and oxygenation as you sleep.


At home your loved one can look at the rise and fall of your chest and take note of when the apnea episode occurs. This information can be shared with your doctor but you still need a sleep study.

But the best way to diagnose sleep apnea is via a sleep study. In addition, the severity of OSA can also be determined. Sleep apnea occurs when you have frequent episodes of breath holding (apnea) while you sleep. Your airway collapses, narrows and your respiration stops. This can last until you gasp for breath then wake up.

If not treated OSA can become severe and decrease the quality of your life. In addition, you have a higher chance of having heart disease, stroke, and dementia (Force). There has been an increase rate of motor vehicle accident due to sleepiness possible associated with OSA.

Sleep in Peace

Not all sleep is good sleep, therefore you might need a sleep study to determine if you are having good quality sleep. A sleep study is a painless, needle less, incision less test done in a sleep lab to analyze the quality of your sleep. This can be in a hospital or sleep center. During the procedure you are connected to monitoring devices that tracks and record activities while you are asleep. Activities such as leg movement, rapid eye movement, snoring, oxygenation, respiration amongst other things are tracked, recorded and analyze to determine if you sleepy quality is good. Find out below if you should talk to your health care provider about considering a referral for a sleep study.

Snoring

If you are a heavy snorer then you may want to consider being tested for sleep apnea through a sleep study. Most people only know if they snore or not through reports of a sleep partner, roommate or house mate. Some people snoring can be so loud that it wakes up the entire house. Although snoring alone is not a diagnosis of OSA, snoring and being overweight along with other symptoms might be a good indicator that OSA is imminent.

Unexplained fatigue, non-restorative sleep, or daytime sleepiness

There are numerous reasons for being tired including sleeping with at snorer or being the same house with a snore. From low iron levels to busy lifestyles or even depression, it is not uncommon to complain of fatigue. However, if you feel your life is not particularly stressful and you live a healthy lifestyle but are still fatigued, you may want to consider having a sleep study to further assess for sleep apnea. Speak to your health care provider to ensure other concerning causes are not to blame, such as abnormal blood counts or thyroid issues.

Chronic insomnia

Do you frequently wake up in the night tossing and turning? Although there are a number of causes for insomnia, such as stress and anxiety, sleep apnea could be the cause. Heavy snoring can wake you up regularly throughout the night. If you or your partners have noticed that you snore heavily, you may benefit from a sleep study for further assessment. Some patients state they feel themselves stop breathing and gags for air. This might be you too.

Restless legs

Are you aware that your legs wiggle and kick throughout the night? A partner is often the one to report that his/her partner is frequently moving his/her legs at night. If this is the case, there may be an underlying diagnosis of sleep apnea present. Leg movements can be monitored during a sleep study. If a condition called restless leg syndrome is identified, medication may be recommended.

Hypertension

High blood pressure, or hypertension, can actually be associated with sleep apnea. This is often questioned when an otherwise healthy person following a healthy lifestyle with no family history of hypertension is found to have elevated blood pressure readings. Undiagnosed and untreated sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure. Our bodies need rest to function normally. Chronically interrupted sleep can stress the body and cause hypertension.

Cognitive Decline

Research suggests that there might be a correlation between OSA and cognitive impairment in adults and Alzheimer’s . This happen because intermittent periods of low oxygen and high carbon dioxide in the blood going to the brain can cause metabolic changes in the brain. Symptoms of dementia such memory loss can be observed.

Are You CPAPing Tonight?

Some people may avoid talking to their health care providers about a sleep study because they are not fond of how sleep apnea is managed. Sleep apnea is typically managed through wearing a face mask at night that is attached to a tube and small machine to provide continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). With advances in management techniques, such as oral devices or mandibular advancement devices, sleep apnea can be managed more comfortably. Lifestyle modifications may also be recommended, such as weight loss, certain sleep positions, and avoiding alcohol.

If you are normotensive CPAP can reduce your systolic blood pressure by 2 to 3 mm Hg. If you are hypertensive CPAP can lower blood pressure 6 to 7 mm Hg (McEvoy et al.). Therefore, it is well worth the effort.

Proper management of sleep apnea helps prevent ongoing fatigue and some chronic conditions, particularly related to cardiovascular disease. If you or someone you know is worried that they might have obstructive sleep apnea, speak to a health care provider to decide if a sleep study is warranted.

Works Cited

Force, US Preventive Services Task. “Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults.” JAMA (2017): 407-417.

Peppard, P. E., Young, T., Barnet, J. H., Palta, M., Hagen, E. W., & Hla, K. M. (2013). Increased prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing in adults. American journal of epidemiology, 177(9), 1006-1014.

McEvoy, Doug R. “CPAP for Prevention of Cardiovascular Events In Obstructive Sleep Apnea.” The New England Journal of Medicine (2016).

Weeks Jr, Kenneth D. “The Basics of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.” American College of Cardiology (2012).

Force, US Preventive Services Task. “Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults.” JAMA (2017): 407-417.

McEvoy, Doug R. “CPAP for Prevention of Cardiovascular Events In Obstructive Sleep Apnea.” The New England Journal of Medicine (2016).

Rosenzweig, I, et al.. “Sleep Apnea and Dementia | Ten Points to Remember.” Lancet Respir Med 14 April 2015.

Weeks Jr, Kenneth D. “The Basics of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.” American College of Cardiology (2012).

(Rosenzweig, Glasser and Leschziner) Sleep Apnea and Dementia | Ten Points to Remember

How Exercise Makes You Healthier

Are you struggling in some areas of your life such as sleep, fatigue or anger but  you are not sure what to do about it? One of the easiest thing you can do is to become more active. You can start being active at home. There are plenty of opportunities that are right under nose.  It is not necessary to purchase any equipment.

Being physically active  is one of the most natural things we can do to enhance our lives. It is also easily accomplished through everyday chores and activity when we don’t rely on machines to do all the work for us. Here are few ways regular exercise makes you will healthier.

1) MAKES YOU LESS ANGRY

Studies confirm that exercise can reduce anger in people. Physiologists report that even a small amount of exercise can have a significant impact on the buildup of anger. It is suggested that a neurotransmitter in the brain, by the name of serotonin, plays a huge role in the buildup of aggression in humans as it does in animals and rodents. If serotonin levels are low, then anger is increased, and if levels are high, then anger significantly decreases. So, by exercising for just 30 minutes a day three days a week, you can increase levels of serotonin, therefore, reducing anger. This may prevent you from blowing up in a situation that would otherwise tick you off and allow you to deal with it more rationally.

2) MAKES YOU SLEEP BETTER/ REDUCES INSOMNIA

Although exercise has been long associated with inducing sleep, only recently has it been suggested in a few studies that exercise can actually increase the length of sleep and also reduce the time that it takes to fall asleep in people who suffer from chronic insomnia. This is attributed to the effects of body-heating caused by exercise. An increase in body temperature is triggered, and then the post-exercise drop of temperature may induce falling asleep. Aerobic exercises, such as walking, spinning, swimming, running, etc., can be used specifically for this purpose.

3) ENCOURAGES HAIR AND NAIL GROWTH

Along with eating healthy, using natural products, and caring for hair topically, exercise is one of the most effective ingredients for long, nourished hair. Sweat is produced from effective exercise and in that, toxins are released through the scalp, unclogging hair follicles. This gives the hair room to breathe and grow. Exercise also increases blood flow to the scalp. Increased blood flow means an increase in nutrients and oxygen to feed the hair and promote natural hair growth.

4) HEALTHIER LOOKING SKIN

As with the benefits of exercise and hair growth, in the same manner, exercise benefits healthier skin. When we exercise, toxins and waste are released through excretion. The way we excrete through our skin is by sweating through our pores. When those pores are cleared out, this reveals fresh skin. In addition to that, the blood circulation to the surface of the skin during exercise, as well as the building of firm muscles, gives the skin a much smoother appearance.

5) HELPS YOU MAKE BETTER DECISIONS

Physical activity has a profound impact on the brain. It can improve the brain’s ability to inhibit distracting stimuli from psychometric tasks. In that, exposure to regular exercise can improve the ability to only consume relevant product information, as opposed to being bombarded by every single bit of information presented before you. Your brain function is much more stable and slows down the decline of cognitive abilities as it relates to aging. Therefore, your memory and thinking skills are energized and less affected by the daily wear-and-tear of aging.

6) GIVES YOU MORE ENERGY

Feeling fatigued is, unfortunately, a common trait in many people. Adequate nutrition and sun exposure play a big role in providing you with energy, but so does exercise. The human body is designed to be regularly active, therefore, living a sedentary lifestyle can deprive the body of what it naturally craves; movement. Regular movement or exercise keeps a constant flow of blood pumping through the heart and working the hearts muscles. These wards off any feeling of sluggishness, because the heart, which is the center of circulation in the body, is clear, therefore, has no trouble doing its work and distributing healthy blood flow for energy.

7) STRENGTHENS THE IMMUNE SYSTEM/ LESS VULNERABLE TO DISEASE

Regular moderate exercise is a vital element in enhancing the immune system. It has been proven that Macrophages cell production increases during physical activity. These cells attack the kind of bacteria which lead to upper respiratory tract diseases. All types of cells that are responsible for immunity circulate more rapidly during an exercise session, and in this cycle, they kill off both bacteria and viruses. A few hours after exertion, though, the body will return to its normal state, so to maintain a continuous bacterium-fighting immune system, you should maintain a regular exercise routine throughout the week. But beware, extensive high-intensity exercise will produce the opposite effect.

8) IMPROVES SELF-CONFIDENCE

Just as how exercise can reduce anger and stress, it can also improve self-confidence especially in the bedroom . The increased overall circulation of blood flow in the body provides you with energy to perform tasks, and, in the same breath, is a natural mood booster. When you exercise, you set yourself up to execute a certain series of tasks and to achieve particular results from your work. At the end of completing those tasks, you feel a sense of accomplishment. Taking care of your body gives you a sense of purpose in life, so by doing self-focused things such as exercise, you love yourself more, thus, gaining more self-confidence.

9) MAKES YOU PHYSICALLY STRONGER

It’s quite obvious that by conducting exercise, you will gain strength. A lot of people who are physically weak are more likely the ones who live a sedentary or less active lifestyle. When you are more physically active, the muscles break down and then rebuild themselves even bigger on a regular basis. So, each day that you incorporated exercise, the muscles strengthen, making you stronger. Although, it is important to also incorporate rest days to give the muscles time to repair and actually build after the breakdown.

10) LIVE LONGER

It is a renowned fact that by maintaining physical activity, you are more likely to live a longer life. Otherwise, you wither away faster. But recent studies place a number on these facts. It has been estimated that by maintaining a 150-minute course of moderate exercise throughout the week (that can be split into 30 minutes a day, five days a week), you can increase your lifespan by 3.4 years. So, if you have the intention of living a long life, then healthy eating, positive thinking, good energy/vibes, and exercise, grouped together will drastically increase your life span.

By exercising, you can live a more happy and fulfilled life. Try it out . You might like it.