Indiana Ag Connection - New Year. New Exercise Plan: Just Move!

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New Year. New Exercise Plan: Just Move!
Indiana Ag Connection - 01/16/2019

It's 2019, and you made a resolution to exercise more.

To keep you on track, Steve Amireault, an assistant professor at Purdue University's Department of Health and Kinesiology, and Lane Yahiro, clinical associate professor and director of the A.H. Ismail Center, can provide some tips for staying active and making your goal.

Amireault and Yahiro share their advice as part of a video series on how to make 2019 the year of change and personal growth with various experts in Purdue's College of Health and Human Sciences.

Amireault encourages people to start small by setting up realistic and achievable goals and also developing a plan to stay active over time.

"Engaging regularly in activity can help reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis, breast and colon cancers; and now there is more evidence suggesting that physical activity can prevent occurrence of other types of cancers," Amireault said.

Regular physical activity has a positive impact on mental health and psychological well-being for people of all ages. Some of the positive impacts include reducing the risk of anxiety and depression, having a reduced risk of dementia -- including Alzheimer's disease, as well as improving sleep, cognitive function and a person's quality of life, said Amireault.

Yahiro added, "My top tip for someone who has a new year's resolution to exercise more would be to hire a personal trainer who could set them up with an exercise program that's effective, safe and fun, with the intention of making them a lifelong exerciser."

Another tip is to find someone to exercise with who can serve as an accountability partner. You can also switch exercise routines and go to the gym during the winter months and then switch to outside activities such as walking or bike riding in the warmer months. Stretching and other smaller exercises can be done during television commercials or while doing chores around the house.

"Keep it simple, and keep the experience as fun and pleasurable as possible," Amireault said.

The College of Health and Human Sciences' research aligns with Purdue's Giant Leaps celebration, acknowledging the university's global advancements made in health, longevity and quality of life as part of Purdue's 150th anniversary. This is one of the four themes of the yearlong celebration's Ideas Festival, designed to showcase Purdue as an intellectual center solving real-world issues.

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