Mind and body go hand in hand when it comes to a person's well-being; did you know that exercising is very helpful to the brain? Some even say that daily exercises are more benefitial to the brain than to the body, exercises can affect mood, vitality, alertness, and result in feelings of well-being, along with many other benefits. Body exercise affects many areas within the nervous system and sets off pleasure chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine that make us feel calm, happy, and euphoric, in other words, if you don't want to wait for those good feelings to come by chance, you can bring them on by exercising. The reason is that when you exercises you can think more clearly, perform better, and your morale is higher. Below you will find some videos on how to exercise if you don't already have a program that you follow, like the 300 Spartans, as well as some nutritional tips.

You may want to watch this 4 minute documentary below to learn more about the amazing mind and body, just press play and start learning.

Exercise & Depression

Depression affects memory and effectiveness; even though it's a mental issue it can cause many physical illnesses. However if you can control your physiology, you can relax, focus, and remember. In a study young male and female volunteers were tested for mood and then did aerobics for an hour. Of the 80, 52 were depressed before the exercise. That group was the most likely to benefit, reporting a reduction in anger, fatigue, and tension. They also felt more vigorous after the workout. Exercise can reduce anxiety for several hours afterward. Yoga is also a very helpful way to release stress and tension (below you will find a small yoga session).

Did you know that physical exercise actually stimulates growth in brain cells? School children who exercise three or four times a week get higher than average exam scores. Senior citizens who walk regularly perform better on memory tests than their peers who spend much of their time sitting. In fact, as they age, walkers show far less cognitive decline than that of non-walkers.

Therefore, low to moderate forms of exercise are recommended for body-brain training. Some recommends 8 to 12 minutes a day of sweating and breathing-hard exercise (60% of maximum heart rate) for body- brain training. Others suggest a 30 minutes of moderate exercise, walking, hiking, or swimming, three times a week. Half an hour to an hour, four to five times a week would be even better.

Exercises are not the only path to good life stlye, eating a healthy diet that spreads carbohydrate throughout the day, choosing foods low in saturated fat and high in soluble fiber are one of the best ways to stay fit while still getting the necessary nutrients, for example safe and soluble fiber such as beans, peas, oatmeal, berries, apples, and some nuts and seeds are very healthy and much needed for the body.

Try also some low sugar fruits: Rhubarb, Strawberries, Cranberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Grapefruit, Melons, Apricots, Plums, Peaches, Pears, Guava, Cherries, Apples, Papaya. It's recommended to eat food high in fiber and low in carbs such as All Bran with Extra Fiber Cereals; or Fiber One.

A good diet would be: (Apples + Grapes + Soy beans + Soy milk + Vegetables + Dark chocolate) + exercises, dark chocolate can be consumed when working out, so that you can benefit from the antioxidants it contains while still burning the excess sugar. Note that diets vary from one person to another, especially with people with health issues, so it's better to consult with your doctor or dietician for the best diet for you.

You may also want to check the weight and height chart at the bottom of this page, it contains the suggested weight based on your height.

Exercises

This is an example of Yoga workout, please note that this is just for informative purposes, if you're unfamiliar with Yoga moves you might cause injuries to yourself. Enjoy the video!

Below is an example of a set of exercises you may want to do if you don't have one already, it's called the 300 Spartans because it contains 300 repetitions from 10 different movements, it's good because it encourages you to finish the 300 repetitions rather than doing a short/ quick workout. The other good part about it is that it allows you to work out many parts of your body, so that you would have a balanced strength. Note that these exercises may not be suitable for everyone.

Mind and body can offer wonders to the one who appreciates them and takes good care of them, so make sure you have benefited a little bit from these resources, and that you exercise daily or regularly!

Height Weight Chart for Women

Height Weight Chart for Men

*Ideal Weights according to the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company tables (1983).

Weight in pounds, based on ages 25-59 with the lowest mortality rate (indoor clothing weighing 3 pounds and shoes with 1" heels) Click here to calculate frame size.

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