With more technology in our lives, it is easy to forget that we need to make time for exercise. For us, with the kids out of school and the demands of work, our lives are busier. It is hard to make time to exercise when there is so much going on day to day. We put it off, or promise ourselves that we will exercise tomorrow. Experience has taught us that tomorrow never comes.
The great thing about exercise is that it can provide a multiple of great advantages. For example, a little exercise can manage stress, create a healthier heart, manage weight loss, and strengthen relationships with friends and family. Those reasons alone should get you up and moving. Riding bikes with your kids or taking a brisk walk with that longtime friend does wonders for the mind, soul, body and overall health.
Before you get up and go, make sure that any exercise program you start has been approved by your physician. If you have not been exercising for a long time, start slow. For example, 3 days a week for 30 minutes a day is a nice an easy goal to achieve. Also, you can spread the 30 minutes throughout the day to receive the same benefits as in doing it all at once. The key is raising the heart rate to the appropriate age level to receive the overall benefit.
Make sure to hydrate yourself when exercising, especially with all the hot weather we have been experiencing. If at any time you feel dizzy, short of breath or have chest pains, stop what you are doing and call 9-1-1. Do not work it off, or believe that this is normal when exercising.
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1515 Dragoon Trail
Mishawaka, IN 46544
Phone: 574-256-3935
Have a very healthy, happy and safe summer.
Submitted by Karen Callahan, RN, and Renne Pfister, RN, Chest Pain Center Coordinators at Franciscan St. Margaret Health
The Chest Pain Centers at both Franciscan St. Margaret Health's Hammond and Dyer campuses were the first accredited centers in Northwest Indiana and only two of 27 in the state. Accreditation by the Society of Chest Pain Centers means that you can be confident that our Emergency and Cardiac departments have the right specialists, processes and equipment in place to provide the highest level of care for patients experiencing chest pain. Learn more