exercise

What Your Exercise Regime Reveals About How You Spend Your Money and Time

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Exercising

Do you have a favorite form of exercise? Maybe you prefer to work out in a traditional gym, or you like yoga, or you’re a huge fan of CrossFit? If you’re like most people, you probably gravitate towards a certain form of exercise. And research suggests that your choice can reveal a lot about you and the way you spend your money!

Here’s what data analysis has revealed about people who engage in four of the most popular forms of exercise:

  • Traditional gym workout – They spend less than $46 a month for membership. They aren’t adverse to eating fast food now and then. They also like to shop at “big-box” stores like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy.
  • Yoga/Pilates/barre studio workout – They spend about $75 a month for membership. They enjoy shopping for antiques, grocery shopping, cooking, and their pets. They spend more on pet supplies than any other type of fitness enthusiast.
  • Cycling studio workout – They spend about $99 a month for membership. They tend to be a little bit free with their money. They enjoy buying shoes, gifts, and jewelry. They also like to travel and eat at high-end restaurants.
  • CrossFit workout – They spend about $120 a month for membership. They also spend a lot on CrossFit clothing! But otherwise, they tend to be fairly frugal. They’re less likely to spend money on trips, fancy restaurants, or high-end coffee and alcohol. They’re more likely to eat at casual restaurants and order things like pizza, Mexican food, and ice cream. They also enjoy home improvement projects.

So what do you think? Does this data sound accurate to you? Feel free to share your thoughts in the Comments section below!

 

Bachman, R. (2016, February 24). Spin or yoga – what your workout says about you. The Wall Street Journal, pp. D1, D2.

The Benefits of Shoveling

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ShovelingSnow

Are you getting a little bit tired of shoveling snow? I know I am. I used to think that shoveling was kind of fun – a socially-acceptable way for an adult to mess around in the snow. But after our most recent snowfall, the joy is gone. The novelty has definitely worn off!

But winter isn’t over, and we may have more shoveling to do in the future. So to make us all feel better about it, I thought I’d list some of the benefits of shoveling.

  • It’s a high intensity workout. It works muscles in your arms, shoulders, legs, back, and core.
  • It burns calories. You burn about 250 calories for every 30 minutes of shoveling. (And you burn even more if it’s especially cold outside, the snow is heavy, or you have to chop at some ice.)
  • If the sun is shining as you shovel, it’s extra beneficial! You’ll get a dose of vitamin D, which is critical to your health. And exposure to natural light can help to alleviate your mood.

So there you go! Shoveling is great! (Although I’m still hoping we won’t have to do a whole lot more of it in the future!)

 

Benefits of snow shoveling. (2016, February 12). In Daily Natural Health News. Retrieved from: http://www.dailynaturalhealthnews.com/benefits-of-snow-shoveling/

 

Office Workout

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Office_Workout

I have a desk job. So I spend most of my time sitting in a chair in front of a computer. I’m not complaining – it’s a comfy place to sit! But I must admit that I don’t get a lot of exercise. I sit at my desk, and then I go home and sit on my couch. Sitting is a big thing with me.

But I would like to be more active and healthy. Sitting all day isn’t good for anyone. Research indicates that it leads to increased muscle pain, headaches, and feelings of listlessness. It’s also not so great for your cardiovascular health. It’s even been found to reduce productivity!

So I did a little research into exercises that I can easily do at my desk. And I discovered a very entertaining article on the Washington Post website that demonstrates how to do 12 different workplace exercises. It also indicates how difficult, sweaty, and humiliating each of those exercises are. For instance, the “Hallelujah” isn’t very difficult or sweaty – but it’s pretty humiliating. (It’s hard to be discrete when you’re swinging your arms around like that!)

WorkExercise

Check out the site and see if any of the exercises look appealing to you! I’m definitely going to give a few of them a try!

 

Did You Know That Exercise Improves Mental Health?

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Running Brain

Not only does exercise make you look younger by improving your physical appearance, it also improves your mental dexterity and well-being.

When I’m stressed about something, I find that if I hit the gym or take a run, I am able to think more clearly. This helps me to see the issue from different perspectives and come up with different ways to solve an issue that in the beginning may have seemed hopeless. This is because exercise increases concentration of norepinephrine (also known as noradrenaline), a chemical that can moderate the brain’s response to stress.

Exercise also releases endorphins into the body. These “feel good” hormones are great for alleviating stress and boosting your overall mood.

There’s more… our brain’s cognitive decline begins at age 45, but exercise can prevent this degeneration by increasing production of cells in the hippocampus, an important part of the brain for memory and learning. And the sooner you start exercising, the better!

Check out these articles for more info:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/27/mental-health-benefits-exercise_n_2956099.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/400102-how-to-naturally-increase-your-norepinephrine-and-serotonin/