Five Tips to Get Fit While Travelling: for the Busy Dental Professional

 

1. Most of us are under the impression that we have to run for 30 minutes to an hour to get a half decent workout in. This isn’t the case. Recent Iowa University study with 55,000 middle aged people demonstrated that as little as seven minutes a day of jogging at any speed could cut in half your chance of cardiovascular disease. Most dental professionals have an all or none attitude when it comes to exercise. This ”seven minute” concept gives you permission to stay fit even if your workout time is squeezed .

2. Interval training is the “new black.” When it comes to improving your aerobic capacity steady state style training is becoming passé. American College of Sports Medicine studies have shown that short bursts of high intensity alternating with low intensity (think alternating walking, fast walking between lamp posts on the street outside convention centers). You don’t need a coach, just some creativity.

3. Sitting is the new smoking? You got that right. New evidence shows that the more hours you sit each the day, the increased likelihood of earlier mortality regardless of how many pairs of sneakers you own. Sedentary living, especially extended sitting shuts down your metabolism and widens your bottom. Enzymes that normally take sugar and fat out of the blood shut off and blood sugar stays elevated causing havoc with all your hormones. Australian study recommends for every 30 min of sitting, you ought to stand or walk around for two minutes. Set an alarm, put a post it note on your monitor, let’s get to it!

4. Stand stretch & Deliver. There is an increased risk of falling as we age due to deterioration of the nervous and muscular system. Medicine Science in Sports and Exercise study reported that people who practiced Tai Chi had improved functional balance and suffered less falls. Take away? If there is a yoga class or Tai Chi class, take off your heals or brogues and train your brain for better balance.

5. Sedoko is one way to boost your brain power. Going wild on crossword puzzles and binging on blueberries is good for the grey matter. But an entirely new way is to do Zumba or Ballroom dancing. Harvard professor John Ratey MD reported in his ground breaking book Spark that any type of exercise that makes you breathe harder and think at the same time boosts BDNF or Brain Dervied Neurotrophic Factor which acts like (the plant growth fertilizer) Miracle Gro for your brain.

 

dr ucheDr Uche Phillip Odiatu BA, DMD is the author of The Miracle of Health & Fit for the LOVE of IT! This practicing dentist is a NSCA Certified Personal Trainer & professional member of the American College of Sports Medicine. He has lectured in the USA, Canada, England, Denmark, Jamaica and the Bahamas.

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