Although we can get sick any time of year, the winter months can be especially hard, leaving most of us looking for ways to avoid illness. Exercise can be beneficial to building your immune system and there are many forms of exercise to choose from.
 
Walking
     During cold and flu season taking a walk is more than just exercise. It can also help protect you from getting sick. A Harvard Medical School study found that “of over 1,000 men and women [found that] those who walked at least 20 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week, had 43% fewer sick days than those who exercised once a week or less. And if they did get sick, it was for a shorter duration, and their symptoms were milder.” All the more reason to add a walk around the neighborhood to your daily routine!
 
Weight Training
     Consistency and moderation is key when it comes to strength training and the immune system. While a sporadic and/or an overly strenuous weight training program can be taxing to the immune system, a program of lifting several times a week and building at a gradual pace may have positive effects on your immunity. Moderate weight training reduces overall stress, allowing your body to produce more of the infection fighting white blood cells our bodies need to fight germs and stay healthy.
 
Yoga
     Practicing yoga, even just once a week, can have positive effects on your immune system. As mentioned above, the stress relief builds germ-fighting white blood cells. Additionally, the breath work in yoga—emptying and filling the lungs—helps to keep stale air from lingering in the lungs, which promotes respiratory health. Deep breathing can decrease stress and increase energy levels, which in turn boosts the immune system helping you to get and stay well.
 
Cycling
     A medical study published in “The Aging Cell” found that exercise, specifically cycling, can protect the immune system. The study compared the T-cell counts of 125 adult cyclists between the ages 55-79 to people the same age, and younger, who did not exercise regularly. T-cells are known to help the immune system fight infection and tend to diminish as we age. The cyclists not only had higher T-cell activity than people their age but were producing the same level of the infection-fighting cells as young adults.
 
     Making time to add physical activity to your daily life is beneficial to more than just your waistline. Adding even 20 minutes of your favorite activity each day can help you fight infection and stay healthy.
 
     You should consult your physician or other health care professional before starting this or any other fitness program to determine if it is right for your needs. Do not start this fitness program if your physician or health care provider advises against it. If you experience faintness, dizziness, pain or shortness of breath at any time while exercising you should stop immediately.
 
     Sally Whitaker is a Pilates and Yoga instructor with 15 years of experience teaching group classes and private clientele, primarily in Independence. During the summer months, you can find her teaching Sunset Yoga at Armstrong Park in Grain Valley.
 

     Self-care is taking action to improve your physical and emotional well-being. While treating yourself to a latte, a pedicure, or even a trip to the dentist all count as self-care, wellness and fitness should also be included in your habits.
     Taking time for just you each day is difficult, but can provide benefits such as reducing stress, boosting mood and energy, and clearing your mind. Use these examples as a starting point to create what self-care looks like for you.
 
Be Still
     Set your phone to silent, turn the television off, and embrace the silence for just five minutes. Sit outside and look out at the clouds, trees, and all of the little things we tend to ignore. Take a walk around the block and pay attention to what you smell, hear, and feel. Or simply close your eyes and just focus on taking 3-5 full breaths.
 
Make Time for You
     Set aside a specific time each day, whether it’s ten minutes or an hour, to move. From a full workout to a few stretches or walk around the block, it all adds up to improving your overall health.
 
Rest
     Working out is definitely a form of self-care, but so is rest. Make sure to factor in rest days when you are making a workout plan. If you have done several challenging workouts in a row, an easy day or rest day will help your muscles and joints to recover.
 
Kind Words
     Self-care is mental as well as physical. Work on changing the voice of your inner critic. Instead of saying “I need to work out, I look terrible,” try “I will get a workout in today to feel better inside and out.” It seems like a small thing, but positive thinking pays off.
 
     Sally Whitaker is a Pilates and Yoga instructor with 15 years of experience teaching group classes and private clientele, primarily in Independence, MO. During the summer months you can find her teaching Sunset Yoga at Armstrong Park in Grain Valley.  
 

​     Burning an extra 100 calories a day can result in up to a 12-pound weight loss over a year, without any change in your eating habits. The following ways to blast an extra 100 calories are based on a healthy 150-pound adult, and while your results may vary slightly, adding an activity burst to your day will yield great results over time.
 
Jog the Commercials
     Run, jog, or march in place during each commercial break of your favorite 30-minute program to burn those extra 100 calories.
 
Remember Recess
     Grab your kid, partner, or best friend and get outside. Throwing a frisbee, shooting hoops, playing hopscotch or hide and seek for just half an hour will up your calorie burn.
 
Might As Well Jump
     Jumping jacks or jumping rope for 10 minutes is all it takes. Break it up into 2-minute blocks throughout your day to make it more manageable.
 
Walk Your Dog
     A half hour brisk-paced walk will burn roughly 100 calories. No dog? That’s okay, just walk yourself!
 
Do Your Chores
     Your honey and your health will thank you for this one. In the time it takes to cook dinner, vacuum or mop, clean out the garage, or other house work chores, you will have burned approximately 100 calories per task, and earn brownie points with those you love.
 
Just Dance
     Dancing to just 3 or 4 of your favorite songs will take about 15 minutes and leave you feeling happier and 100 calories lighter.
 
Winter Wonder
     It’s been a long, snowy winter, but for every 15 minutes you spend shoveling, scraping, and salting you melt away 100 calories. When spring (finally) arrives, mowing, weeding, planting, and pruning will also burn 100 calories in 20-30 minutes time.
 
     You should consult your physician or other health care professional before starting this or any other fitness program to determine if it is right for your needs.
     Do not start this fitness program if your physician or health care provider advises against it. If you experience faintness, dizziness, pain or shortness of breath at any time while exercising you should stop immediately.
 
     Sally Whitaker is a Pilates and Yoga instructor with 15 years of experience teaching group classes and private clientele, primarily in Independence, MO. During the summer months you can find her teaching Sunset Yoga at Armstrong Park in Grain Valley.  
 
 

     Exercising regularly provides an abundant supply of benefits. Slimming down, getting stronger, and sleeping better are just the beginning. Here are four more reasons to make time for regular exercise.
 
Brain Boost
     Regular exercise has been shown to stimulate the release of growth factors-- chemicals in the brain that have a positive effect on the growth of new blood vessels in the brain and the survival of new brain cells.
     A 2014 Harvard Health article quoted Dr. Scott McGinnis, a neurologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an instructor in neurology at Harvard Medical School as saying “Even more exciting is the finding that engaging in a program of regular exercise of moderate intensity over six months or a year is associated with an increase in the volume of selected brain regions.” So, persistence really does pay off when it comes to cardiovascular exercise.
 
Keep Bugs at Bay
     Moderate amounts of physical exercise increases white blood cells which can help to strengthen the immune system. Breathing heavier and harder during exercise may also help to clear the lungs of bacteria.
     Even better, a study at the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine found that it takes as little as 20 minutes to produce an anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting response in the body.
 
Improve Coordination and Concentration
     The dance moves in Zumba, pretzel poses of yoga, and figuring out the maze of weight machines at the gym can feel confusing and often intimidating. But learning those new skills and refining them over time is shown to increase your coordination, concentration, and even memory.
     A University of Copenhagen study found that exercise boosts brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that helps "cement" memories.
 
Rebound Resiliently
     Aerobic and mind-body exercises help build the “fight-or-flight” threshold by boosting serotonin and dopamine and relaxing the muscles. Additionally, being able to call upon the breathing work from a yoga class or recalling how you were able to push through a few more minutes on the treadmill, can be just the bump of courage needed to get through life’s most stressful moments.
 
     You should consult your physician or other health care professional before starting this or any other fitness program to determine if it is right for your needs.   Do not start this fitness program if your physician or health care provider advises against it.
     If you experience faintness, dizziness, pain or shortness of breath at any time while exercising you should stop immediately.
     Sally Whitaker is a Pilates and Yoga instructor with 15 years of experience teaching group classes and private clientele, primarily in Independence, MO. During the summer months you can find her teaching Sunset Yoga at Armstrong Park in Grain Valley. 
 

     One of the biggest hurdles when it comes to fitness is finding and making the time to exercise. Here are 3 ways to get a workout in even on your busiest days.
 
10 Minute Rule
     Set aside 10 minutes for a workout. Whether you schedule it into your day or sneak it in when you have a gap, tell yourself you will do a workout for 10 minutes. A walk around the block, a quick online video of your favorite form of fitness, or even a Pinterest search for “10-minute Workout” will get you started.
     The hardest part of working out is often just getting started. You may find that once you have completed the 10 minutes, you now have the energy and desire to go a little longer.
 
Break It Up
     A 2001 study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information
concluded that “exercise accumulated in several short bouts has similar effects as one continuous bout”. This means that two 15-minute workouts are just as beneficial as one 30-minute workout.
     To make this work for you, try a cardio workout such as the stationary bike or elliptical for 15 minutes during one part of your day, followed with 15 minutes of Pilates or Yoga at another open time.
 
Think Outside the Gym
     Taking your dog for a daily walk, walking the circumference of the playground while your kids play at the park, or doing core work while catching up on your favorite TV show all count as exercise. Just because it doesn’t happen at the gym doesn’t mean it doesn’t count. Get creative!
 
You should consult your physician or other health care professional before starting this or any other fitness program to determine if it is right for your needs.   Do not start this fitness program if your physician or health care provider advises against it. If you experience faintness, dizziness, pain or shortness of breath at any time while exercising you should stop immediately.
 
     Sally Whitaker is a Pilates and Yoga instructor with 15 years of experience teaching group classes and private clientele, primarily in Independence, MO. During the summer months you can find her teaching Sunset Yoga at Armstrong Park in Grain Valley.