It was World Health Day on Sunday, 7 April.
This year, the focus is on making smart lifestyle choices for wellbeing.
The most obvious of these is increasing your fitness levels through regular exercise.
That’s why scores of people including children celebrated World Health Day 2013 by participating in a hiking trip up the Margallas, Pakisatan, says
The Express Tribune.
But you don't need to go on intensive hikes like this to boost your fitness levels.
In fact, you need just 30 minutes of exercise a day to improve your overall health, says says
ABCNews.
Added to this, it’s one of the easiest ways to protect your heart from
heart disease and could be all it takes to cut your risk of
cancer in half, says
FSP Health.
Exercise is also a great way to improve your mood,
sleep quality, brain power, attention span and overall happiness, adds
Health24.
So get started today!
It’s easy to incorporate an evening walk into your routine.
Make it a brisk walk and you’ll reap the health rewards sooner.
If you’re getting tired, you can stop as long as you feel warmer, breathe harder and your heart beats faster than usual.
One way to make sure you follow through with your evening walk after a long day in the office…
All you need to do to make sure you follow through?
Just updating your Facebook status to say ‘Looking forward to my evening run’ makes you more likely to follow through with your renewed fitness plans, says
FSP Health.
But you can even get fit at work.
Start walking more at work…
Just make sure you ALWAYS take the stairs at work, especially if you tend to sit at your desk for hours a day.
Even better? Taking the stairs two at a time is a great way to increase your fitness, says
TheSowetanLive.
These regular breaks will also reduce your risk of
cancer, as the more you sit each day, the greater your risk for developing chronic health problems will be, says
Health24.
You can also take the stairs with a heavy stack of files in each hand – just make sure you’re well balanced so you don’t trip.
Get fit while sitting
You can even strengthen your core muscles while sitting in your chair.
Just keep your legs crossed and your feet on the seat, then place your hands on the armrests, tighten your stomach muscles and raise yourself a few centimetres above the seat, using your belly, muscles and hands for up to 20 seconds, says
TheSowetanLive.
Simple as that – no-one needs to know you’re using the office as your own personal fitness centre!