1. Tips & basic advices on sport

✅ Here are some examples for moving more throughout the day:

– During waiting time do not seat, but walk (when you have to wait, walk);
– Park your car far away;
– Dog walks ( get a pet or do dog sitting);
– Listen to music while you walk (rhythm);
– Forget about the elevator and take the stairs.

✅ Your physical activity must be pleasant, give you happiness and should not be an imposition, but only a pleasure. You should feel confort, satisfied and you should exercise without too much emotional efforts;

✅ Start with a daily aerobic exercise, step-by step, starting with 15’ up to 60′. The best choice is a daily routine of 45′ for adults and 30′ for senior. Examples of aerobic activities are: walking, swimming, rebounding, cycling, Pilates, Nordic Walking, but also simply gardening, If a daily workout is not possibile, it should be not less than 45’, 3 times per week. But never let more than 48 hours elapse between training sessions. Little but often it is better than much but rarely (for more, read WHO advices);

✅ Introduce an anaerobic exercise (workout of effort) for 2-3 times per week, starting with 10’ up to 75’, once you become an expert. In general the anaerobic exercise should be done with a minimum of 20 repetitions. If you are healthy, you can start a first step (20 repetition), stop and relax, then go up to 2-3 sets of 20 repetition per exercise. In this case it is very important to be supervised by a qualified personal trainer to avoid body injury;

✅ The training should be as and interval workout, introducing steps of intense effort into light training (e.g. 1’ of intense effort each 5’ aerobic training);

✅ According to circadian rhythms, the best time to get some exercise is in the afternoon (2.30-5 pm);

✅ Workout depends on your physical condition, in this case you should be followed by a specialist (for example a physiotherapist or a qualified personal trainer).

✅ You should train each muscle groups per week. The muscle groupe are lower limbs (legs), Middle section (trunk etc.), Upper body (shoulders etc.) and Upper limbs (arms).

✅ It is always better to prefer a lower weight for a longer time instead of a higher weight for a shorter time. For example 2 sets of 20 repetitions with weights or elastic bands. The movement should be slowly AND controlled, and never STESS the joints! Stop for 2′ for recovery at the end of all series.

More interesting tips from The Ministry of Sports in France to make you want to do sports every day are:

1) prepare a music playlist for sports sessions;

2) reward yourself;

3) combine physical activity with pleasurable activities. For example, tell yourself that you can only watch your favorite show on TV if you exercise for 7 minutes at the same time;

4) vary your workouts.

Source (FR): https://bougezchezvous.fr/posts/nos-trucs-pour-avoir-envie-de-faire-du-sport-au-quotidien/

2. Do&don’t for your workout

✅ choose a low impact activity on joints and ligaments;

✅ if necessary, consult a qualified physiotherapist or qualified personal trainer in your area;

✅ listen to your body and stop the exercise if you have too much pain, that indicates an imbalance in your posture;

✅ always warmup before and stretch after each training;

✅ spend more time outdoors, in nature and, if it is not always possible, open the windows and get fresh air and light;

✅ choose group activities, e.g. Nordic Walking, Pilates with friends, for a sense of inclusion;

✅ respect correct ergonomics in all activities at home and at work;

✅ with continuity in practice, the activities become automated and have a greater psychological benefit;

⛔️ avoid muscular pains;

⛔️ avoid sedentary lifestyle;

⛔️ avoid DIY (Do It Yourself) and ask a qualified person.

3. Examples of physical activity

I promote Pilates, mini trampoline, Nordic Walking, or a simply walk in the nature (forest bathing), but there are so many other sports with reduced intensity, such as gardening. Here some benefits:

- improvement of cardiovascular and lymphatic function, purifying the body, the toxins are eliminated
- decrease in blood pressure
- increase microcirculation, promoting oxygenation
- better use of sugar in foods e.g. carbohydrates or fruit (eat no added sugars)
- regulation of appetite by activating the metabolism
- improvement of sleep quality
- improvement of mood tone
- regeneration of cells
- creation of new connections between nerve cells
- better posture

4. Scientific sources

Check out the Movement Recommendations from hepa.ch (health-enhancing physical activity), the Switzerland-wide institution for effective health promotion through movement and sport.

You can find the Swiss Confederation’s Movement Recommendations (hepa.ch) in this poster. But you can find updated information directly on their site .

A recent study has shown that people who spend a lot of time sitting at their desk can find relief from the negative effects of sedentary lifestyle by standing up to take a walk of at least two minutes every hour (link of the study).

To deepen your knowledge on sport and nutrition, I suggest the online course iSlim created by Dr. Fabio Piccini (in Italian).

Other scientific sources are indicated in the book of Dr. Berrino, Lumera, Mariani, ventuno giorni per rinascere, 2018.

Mome information on David Mariani are described at this link or on Facebook.

Orther scientific sources:

- Effects of Exercise on Body Composition and Functional Capacity of the Elderly (Evans WJ. 1995 Journal of Gerontology 50A:147);
- Physical activity/exercise and type 2 diabetes: a consensus statement from the American Diabetes Association. (Sigal RJ et al., 2006 Diabetes Care. 29:1433);
- Exercise for preventing and treating osteoporosis in postmenopausal women (Howe TE et al., 2011 Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 7:CD000333);
- Strength and Aerobic Training Attenuate Muscle Wasting and Improve Resistance to the Development of Disability With Aging (Tseng BS et al., 1995 Journal of Gerontology 50A:113);
- Physical fitness and activity as separate heart disease risk factors: a meta-analysis (Blair SN & Jackson AS. 2001 Med Sci Sports Exerc. 33:762);
- Calorie restriction or exercise: effects on coronary heart disease risk factors. A randomized, controlled trial (Fontana L et al., 2007 Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 293:E197);
- Effects of 12 months of intense exercise training on ischemic ST-segment depression in patients with coronary artery disease (Ehsani AA et al., 1981 Circulation 64:1116);
- An active lifestyle for cancer prevention (Yang L &Colditz GA. 2014 J Natl Cancer Inst. 106: dju135);
- Regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis and GLUT4 expression by exercise (Holloszy JO. 2011 Compr Physiol. 1:921);
- Waging war on modern chronic diseases: primary prevention through exercise biology (Frank W. Booth et al 2000, Journal of Applied Physiology, https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.2000.88.2.774);
- https://health.gov/moveyourway/

⚠️ Avoid Do It Yourself (DIY) and consult a physiotherapist or qualified personal trainer.

Disclaimer: This text is only for illustration purposes and does not replace your doctor’s opinion. It is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Absolutely avoid DIY (do-it-yourself) and get medical attention.

First edition 09.09.2019
Last update 25.10.2022