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FITNESS QUIZ - DOS & DON'TS
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Post Work-Out Recovery Recipe
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Members & Employees
Care for Your Health
Wellness Health Screenings
at the AMO Plans Medical Clinic
Call Ext.7305
or
Stop by the clinic for your
Sailing Members:
As with all AMO Plans Health & Wellness Initiatives, any health information obtained is private and not shared with any required merchant mariner physical exam process. This information is strictly for your betterment and may be shared with your physician at your discretion
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Getting in Shape
Regular Exercise is the closest thing to a miracle drug that we have. It's free, easy to start, has few side effects when done properly, and does not need a prescription. Exercise has an overwhelming number of benefits, such as helping you maintain a healthy weight, strengthening your heart, improving lung function, and reducing your risk for coronary heart disease. Furthermore, physical activity lowers your risk of depression, cognitive decline, diabetes, and cancer.... And it just feels good to be fit!
Fitness Apps
If you don't already have an established exercise routine, it can sometimes be hard to go from intending to work out to actually getting it done. That could be one reason why more than 75% of
Americans don't get enough exercise
. If you're trying to figure out how to start a fitness routine or looking to track your fitness journey, apps can help. According to a
recent study
, participants who used fitness apps were much more active compared to nonusers an even had a lower body mass index.
The study's authors believe apps help people overcome barriers like a lack of understanding or organization, which leads to better exercise habits. Over time, these improved habits can
mean big changes.
The Study
No single app is perfect, but, depending on your goals, free fitness apps can help you build strength, get better at running, and
improve
your stretching or recovery.
In general, the government's recommended
physical activity guidelines call for healthy adults to do at least two and a half hours of moderate-intensity activity - or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity - weekly, along with muscle-strengthening exercises at least twice a week. The ACSM takes guidelines for exercise programs a few steps further, saying that all workout programs should include safety precautions, warm-up, conditioning that includes strengthening, and cool-down. Plus, they say programs should progress at a safe rate for each person, and that workout programs should include components of aerobic fitness, strength and resistance exercise, and flexibility.
The Result
A comprehensive program that does all that is a lot for any app. Most apps focus on one aspect of fitness, like getting stronger or building running endurance.
That's why no app in the study scored more than 35 points out of 70 in the evaluation scale that the researchers devised.
But a few of the top-scoring apps can serve as a good guide to overall workouts or for more targeted goals like building aerobic endurance, strength, or flexibility. All these apps guide users through exercises, offering videos that show how to perform moves and voice guidance to signal when it's time to change pace or position.
Here are the Best Choices
According to the research:
- The Johnson & Johnson Official 7-Minute Workout: This app is best for beginners and provides an effective full-body workout that can help people meet fitness guidelines.
- Nike + Training Club: This app is for full-body strength training.
- Weight Loss Running by Verv: This app is best for aerobic training and running.
- Fitness Buddy: This app is best for strength training and offers a range of workouts that can be done at home or in a gym using weights, or a resistance band.
- StrongLifts 5x5: This app is best for strength training, especially weight lifting, and is an excellent training program for people looking to get started with lifting.
- Fitness Builder: this app is best for strength and flexibility focused workout programs and offers a wide variety of plans that focus on strength, movement, fat loss, and much more.
- Simply Yoga: This app is best for flexibility and offers a variety of yoga routines.
- Run Keeper: This app tracks walks, runs, and any other physical activity. From the casual stroller to the 5K runner and those building up to a marathon, this GPS app boasts a community of 50 million users and is suitable for everyone.
American Maritime Officers Plans
(Sources:journal of medical internet research; medicalnewstoday; webmd; businessinsider)
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