5 simple exercises to have a healthy body

To keep the body healthy, it is essential to maintain consistency in life habits and definitely put aside a sedentary lifestyle.

To have a healthy body, it’s necessary to understand the significance of maintaining healthy and harmonious habits. Among them, physical exercise daily or at least more than three times a week stands out.

It is often said that aerobic exercise is the key to maintaining a healthy body, however, you don't have to rely only on this modality to gain health and look good. Many types of exercises can provide benefits.

One of the simplest exercises you can do daily is walking. At first, you can go slowly, but as the weeks go by, you should gradually increase your pace and speed to get the most out of it.

To increase the speed it is not necessary to make great efforts. Just widen the steps, walking faster. But how long do you have to walk a day to get a healthy body? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is recommended to do a minimum of 150 minutes a week, although everything will depend on the objectives of each person.

Health benefits of physical exercise

In general, doing physical exercise regularly benefits health in several aspects. Some of the most notable are the following:

• Improves flexibility.

• Improves lung capacity.

• It allows for the development of resistance.

• Improves physical performance.

• Helps release tension (physical and mental).

• Reduces the risk of disease.

• As the WHO experts point out, "it is a key determinant of energy expenditure, and is therefore essential for caloric balance and weight control."

For all of the above, it is often said that exercise helps – among many other things – to strengthen bones, protect joints, as well as prevent other physical ailments, and stimulate brain health.

How much physical activity is necessary?

As we said before, the weekly physical activity that each person should do to have a healthy body will depend on their particular goals. In very general terms, the necessary physical activity will depend on whether you want to maintain weight or lose it, so it is necessary to take into account the following considerations:

• To maintain weight: in this case, the ideal is to do 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week at moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity. This is according to the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, some people will need extra minutes of weekly physical activity, depending on their metabolism.

• To lose weight: physical activity in this case must be much greater, especially if eating habits are not modified. Therefore, the ideal in these cases is to maintain a caloric deficit recommended by a nutritionist and combine it with aerobic exercises of moderate intensity.

Examples of exercises for a healthy body

Some of the best exercises to have a healthy body are the following that we are going to discuss below. Take them into account, but remember that there are many others capable of providing you with multiple benefits.

The most important thing is that you choose an activity that you like and that you practice regularly to maintain good physical condition, as well as good physical and mental health.

1. Swimming

For many, swimming is the most complete exercise and the "perfect" workout to have a healthy body, since it allows you to work several areas of the body at the same time.

Aqua gymnastics may be another option. Through it, they can burn more calories and achieve greater body toning, among other issues.

2. Tai Chi

Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art that is practiced by many to maintain a healthy body and relax the mind. One of its main benefits lies in the fact that it allows you to work in several areas of the body at the same time, maintaining a specific rhythm and control of the body for a certain period.

It is often said that, for older people, tai chi is a good exercise, as it not only allows the body to work but balance, something very important even for walking and doing other activities.

However, its practice is recommended for people of all ages, because tai chi classes are usually offered at various levels. 

3. Strength training

Weightlifting is not the same as bodybuilding, although both concepts are sometimes confused. Lifting weights is a way to keep your muscles toned when you're not using them, so they don't lose strength over time.

The more we work our muscles and the stronger we are, the easier it will be to burn calories. The so-called "strength training" can also keep memory active, as indicated in this study.

To carry out this type of training, and achieve and maintain a healthy body, you have to practice it moderately and progressively. Start with light weights and increase the load as the body adapts. All this, following the advice of a personal trainer.

4. Walks

Although it seems like a very simple activity, walking is very beneficial for your health. Especially if it is done daily for at least 30 minutes. In general, a good walk can help:

• Work resistance.

• Control blood pressure.

• Control cholesterol levels.

• Release physical and emotional tension.

• Strengthen bones, joints, and muscles.

• Reduce the risk of many diseases.

5. Kegel exercises

Along with a brisk walk and some aerobic exercises, Kegel exercises also help maintain a healthy body.

They are especially famous for the fact that they help strengthen the muscles that support the bladder, and thus can help prevent urinary incontinence, as well as improve sexual life, etc.

Other tips for a healthy body

In addition to having an active lifestyle and doing some of the exercises mentioned in the list, other recommendations can be followed to have a healthy body. One of the most important tips is to maintain a healthy and balanced diet.

The fact of taking care of the diet does not imply counting all the calories that are consumed in a day. The ideal in these cases is to improve the cooking of food, avoiding frying and excess fat. For its part, it is essential to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables due to their multiple health benefits.

Another useful piece of advice is to avoid tobacco and excess alcohol. First of all, tobacco contains hundreds of substances that are harmful to the body, some of which favor the appearance of various cancers such as lung cancer and breast cancer. On the other hand, alcohol causes serious liver damage and disorders in the nervous system and in the digestive system.

Mental health is as important as physical health, so if you want to have a healthy body, you should pay special attention to this aspect. Excessive stress has multiple negative effects on the body, generating the appearance of physical and psychiatric pathologies. In addition, negative emotions such as anxiety, sadness, and frustration must be managed by specialists to channel them properly.

How to consider if you are an active person?

To be considered an active person, you should get at least 30 minutes of active exercise a day, and two days of strength training throughout the week.

Remember that each person is unique, so every routine must be adapted to the personal physical condition. This is why it should be planned with the help of a personal trainer and, if necessary, the family doctor.