The new year is already well on its way and our well-intentioned resolutions may have already been abandoned or not yet put into place. February is here \u2013 it\u2019s time to revisit one’s objectives and start moving!<\/p>\n
But where should we begin? Clients often ask us what kind of activities they should embark on. Dance class? Yoga? Pilates? Swimming? Or is it time to start training for that half-marathon? We often get asked if a particular activity is \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cbad\u201d. Our answer to these questions is perennially disappointing, as we respond \u201cit depends\u201d. There are\u00a0many factors that influence how beneficial an activity will be on a person, but only a couple that can make an activity detrimental. Essentially, an activity or sport can only be \u201cbad\u201d if routinely causes or worsens injury or pain, or if it is simply unpleasant\/boring to perform. Therefore, if what you\u2019re doing isn\u2019t hurting you, and there\u2019s some enjoyment in it, it\u2019s inherently a good activity to do.<\/p>\n
That being said, there are pros and cons to every activity that should be taken into consideration, to make sure you\u2019re making educated choices. We\u2019ll cover just a few of the metrics that can be used to evaluate the benefits of any given activity.<\/p>\n
That being said, there are pros and cons to every activity that should be taken into consideration, to make sure you’re making educated choices. We’ll cover just a few of the metrics that can be used to evaluate the benefits of any given activity.<\/p>\n
Bone health<\/b><\/p>\n
Any weight-bearing activity helps increase bone density. For the legs, those are ones like walking, running or running sports, weight training, dance and aerobics. For the arms, it would be weight training, pilates, yoga, and gymnastics.<\/p>\n
Cardiovascular health<\/b><\/p>\n
Almost any activity is beneficial for cardiovascular health, especially those that cause an increase in heart rate and breathing rate (make you short of breath). Good choices are fast walking, weight training, running, running sports, swimming, dance, and aerobics, among many others.<\/p>\n
Strength<\/b><\/p>\n
Muscle mass and strength are very important to overall physical health and metabolism. This is even more true as we age. What is a good strengthening activity? Anything that makes your muscles sore!<\/p>\n
Social value<\/b><\/p>\n
Some sports are practiced as a team, and some in pairs or solitarily. The social value of activity cannot be overemphasized: historically, people practiced “sport” entirely for the social aspects it provided. Only in more recent history has sport become a medium for gaining health (due to the progressively more sedentary nature of daily life). So there is much to be said for the mental health benefits of being part of a class, or a team, and having that external expectation to show up and play hard. For some there is even a cultural aspect to their activity, for example traditional dancing. This can help strengthen a sense of cultural identity, or can help to broaden one.<\/p>\n
Neuroplasticity<\/b><\/p>\n