Many people like to start their day with exercise — running, swimming, or walking. Some prefer to do this on an empty stomach, while others wait until after breakfast. But which is actually better? Some people experience gastrointestinal issues while exercising. This can include bloating, heartburn, vomiting, cramps, reflux, and even diarrhea. It turns out…
It’s recommended to get enough daily exercise. A walk during your lunch break is great, but it can become repetitive. So what are the alternatives? Try a barefoot trail: You really feel the ground beneath your feet, and you use your feet in a completely different way. Walking becomes a unique experience. Go for a…
Everything about skiing: how it started, how healthy it is, and how to prepare for it This month, the Winter Olympics took place in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Skiing is one of the main events.Skiing has existed for a long time and originally began as an efficient way to move through snow. It wasn’t until the…
To live a healthy life, you should take 10,000 steps a day. Dr. Yoshiro Hatano came to this conclusion in the 1960s. He also concluded that people take only about 6,000 steps on average per day. Those extra 4,000 steps equal about half an hour of brisk walking. His conclusion was also that taking 10,000…
What is stretching, actually? Why do we do it, and how do we do it properly? Stretching means “to extend” or “lengthen” specific muscles. Stretching improves the flexibility of muscles and joints, which we also call mobility or suppleness. Muscles and joints can hardly be seen separately when it comes to movement. A joint is…
LIIT – Low Intensity Interval TrainingWe’ve been doing HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) for a while now—short, intense workouts of 15–20 minutes. But some exercises, like burpees, are very demanding. LIIT takes a different approach: workouts last 30–40 minutes but are less extreme and easier to sustain. It might involve different walking techniques—changing directions or…
Exercise offers many benefits, and one of them is how it changes the way your body stores fat. Especially for people who are overweight, physical activity brings several additional advantages. Being overweight can lead to insulin resistance, meaning the body has more difficulty handling high sugar intake. Over time, this can result in diabetes. Not…
Sports are supposed to promote health, but many sports clubs are actually unhealthy environments. After all, who doesn’t associate a football clubhouse with a beer? In some areas, like Flevoland, a healthy lifestyle isn’t even considered a topic by many sports clubs. Usually, there is no smoking ban near the outdoor fields or at the…
Of course, it’s ideal to eat healthily and stay active throughout your life. But even if you start being more active later in life, the benefits are clear: people who begin exercising from middle age onward can halve their risk of strokes. This exercise doesn’t need to be intense. A walk with the dog, getting…
Some yoga classes are more intense than others. There are also often differences between instructors. Most people will practice a form of Hatha yoga: stretching various parts of the body. But some styles are truly unique… For example, there is goat yoga. Animal lovers do their exercises on straw, but are also allowed to cuddle…
Does your BenFit coach also remind you to meet the Dutch exercise guideline of 30 minutes a day (60 minutes if you’re overweight)? Turn your desk job into a calorie-burning session with your coworkers using this fun office workout! Warm-up: 20 squats – lower your butt to knee height Walk in lunges to the coffee…
The Trend Scenario outlines what our lifestyle is likely to look like by 2040.Good news! The number of smokers continues to decline — by 2040, only 14% of Dutch adults will still smoke. This applies to all age groups over 18, though the decline is stronger among men than women. Unfortunately, we are also getting…
