(CNN) — The connection that comes from friends, family and partners isn’t just nice to have — it’s crucial.

Nearly 1 in 4 adults across the world have reported feeling very or fairly lonely, a 2023 Meta-Gallup survey has found.

“For too long, loneliness has existed behind the shadows, unseen and underappreciated, driving mental and physical illness,” US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said in November.

Loneliness is a problem when it comes to getting help, and strong relationships are a solution.

Positive social experiences affect not only a person’s stress level and ability to cope but also are markers of physical health, according to a March 2023 study.

It may seem daunting to expand your connections, but here are five meaningful steps you can take to do so in 2024.

1. Start small

Whether making new friends, bringing existing ones closer or embarking on the dating scene, it’s OK to keep from getting overwhelmed and start small, said Adam Smiley Poswolsky, author of “Friendship in the Age of Loneliness,” in a previous CNN article.

Doing so can mean sending a text to check in with someone once a week, meeting one new person a month or planning a regular social outing.

“If you do just one thing, make a list of five people in your life that you care about, and give one of them a phone call,” added Poswolsky, a workplace belonging expert. “The most remarkable friendships often begin with tiniest moments of connection.”

Research shows that it takes 90 hours of time together to consider someone a friend and more than 200 hours to consider them a close friend with whom you have an emotional connection, he said.

“In our busy world, we need to put our friendship on the calendar, and commit to recurring activities,” Poswolsky said.

2. Set boundaries

Believe it or not, better connection with others may require you to set strong boundaries.

“It’s not just about conflict and keeping bad people out. It’s also about keeping the relationships you value in,” said Kami Orange, a boundary coach based in southern Utah, in a previous CNN article.

Boundaries are communications of your needs, wants and expectations, and you may need to set boundaries with your partner about your needs when it comes to personal space or preserve your relationship with parents by setting boundaries on what you expect from them around your children.

“A good boundary is clear and concise,” said Nedra Glover Tawwab, a therapist based in Charlotte, North Carolina. “I think very often we say a lot of words, but we’re still not very clear about what we want.”

Instead of stating a problem such as, “You always pick on me about my kids,” it is important to say what you need, Tawwab said in an earlier article. An invitation to do something in the future would help, she added.

3. Learn about yourself

Do you know how you attach to others? Or how your loved ones are attached to you? The answer to those questions can help strengthen your relationships.

First developed by psychoanalyst John Bowlby in the 1950s, attachment styles describe how people function in relationships when it comes to closeness, intimacy and potential threats.

There are four styles: avoidant, anxious, disorganized and secure. You can learn more about them in a 2023 CNN article.

Knowing about these styles can help in your relationships with friends, family, colleagues and romantic partners, according to research.

4. Learn how to have conflict

Not only does fighting happen, but it can be healthy, according to a previous CNN article.

The key is to fight with those you love in a productive way — meaning one that solves problems and brings you closer together.

Social psychologist David W. Johnson studied conflict and labeled five archetypes of how people tend to handle it: turtles, sharks, teddy bears, foxes and owls.

Turtles, for example, tend to withdraw, while sharks forcefully protect their own goals, and owls view conflict as a problem that needs solving. Foxes tend to compromise, and teddy bears sacrifice to keep the peace.

Knowing your attachment and conflict style can help to understand how you approach a fight with your loved ones, and research suggests that approach can be modified.

5. Express your gratitude

A simple “thank you” can go a long way.

Research from 2023 showed that couples who express gratitude to one another when they feel it increased their time together by more than an hour a day.

The key is to identify gratitude and express it authentically, not sit down and recount nice things your friend, family member or partner did that you could remember.

Your relationship doesn’t need to get stuck in a rut, even as it evolves out of the butterfly stage, said Sara Algoe, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in a previous CNN article. Algoe is founder and director of The Love Consortium, a group of researchers studying data around social connection.

“It may be impossible to recapture the giddy joy of falling in love,” Algoe said, “but it doesn’t take much to rediscover the things we love about our partner and strengthen our relationship in the process.”

The post 5 steps to a less lonely 2024 appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

(CNN) — This is not going to be the year that you make big plans to be more active and then burn out a few weeks into 2024.

Exercise is important — even if you aren’t aiming to be a triathlete. Regular movement helps with longevity, makes us happier and fights against disease, studies show.

What’s going to make this year different as you pursue that resolution to incorporate working out into your regular routine is being realistic and working with yourself to get there.

In 2024, you can get more strengthening and exercise in your day by following these simple and practical steps — no matter whether you’re a gym rat or fitness novice.

1. It’s a walk in the park

Yes, getting started on fitness this year could be as simple as one foot in front of the other.

Walking can do more to combat disease and health conditions than pretty much anything else, according to a previous CNN story.

Studies have also shown that the activity can boost your mood, improve memory and lower stress.

And what’s great is that walking takes nothing to get started — no equipment, no gym membership and no experience necessary.

Because walking is something many of us are familiar with, it is less intimidating and has less of a learning curve than other physical activities, said Evan Matthews, associate professor of exercise science and physical education at New Jersey’s Montclair State University, in a previous story.

There are ways to kick it up a notch once you have incorporated walking into your routine and you are ready to build.

Walking backward on a treadmill or elliptical may increase balance, walking pace and cardiopulmonary fitness, according to a March 2021 study.

Or strap on a backpack during your walk to go “rucking” instead. It’s an exercise used by militaries around the world, and the US army tests recruits’ ability to march with about 35 pounds of gear.

But you can start much lighter than that and work your way up as your fitness grows.

2. Maximizing your to-do list

You don’t have to change your whole life to change your fitness level.

The chores already on your to-do list — gardening, lugging boxes of decorations back into their storage spots or giving your home that spring clean — can be part of how you approach getting fitter in 2024.

You can even burn more calories in an hour by raking leaves than a brisk walk or weight training session, said CNN fitness contributor Dana Santas in a previous article.

To get the most fitness from your to-do list, make sure to warm up, make chores manageable to avoid injury, switch the sides of your body putting in the most effort, stay hydrated, and keep good form, Santas said.

Good form means bending your knees and using your legs as the main source of power when lifting, maintain balance and stability by keeping about a hip-distance stance, and rotating from the middle of your back to avoid strain, she added.

Even the routines that don’t feel particularly active can be part of your fitness resolution.

Santas likes to stack existing habits with fitness for an easy way to be consistent — like doing wall sits while brushing her teeth or push-ups while the water for the shower warms up.

“You realize how quickly a minute goes by. It’s not intimidating, and it’s easier and it makes you start to quickly feel healthier because you’re like, ‘I can do it,’” she said in a previous article. “You’re doing it consistently, and it makes you proud of yourself.”

3. Making friends with the gym

Maybe you feel like you’ve gotten a good start on the everyday fitness, and you are ready to up your game with more serious strength training.

But the gym is intimidating.

One way to get more serious is to start doing strength workouts at home.

You can use your body weight at home to get a high-quality workout that incorporates strength, balancing, flexibility and coordination with exercises like push-ups, squats, planks and sit-ups, Santas said in a previous article.

A broomstick, water bottle, towel, chair and full backpack can also help simulate a gym experience at home, she said.

Or you can conquer your fear by making the gym a more fun place to be.

To start, don’t be afraid to shop around, according to a previous CNN article. You might feel more comfortable in a smaller gym, one only for your gender, or one that has lots of options for classes.

Once you are there, going with friends or taking classes may help you feel some direction and support.

Building habits works best when it’s manageable, so don’t push yourself right away and work up slowly.

And after you are done, it is important to recover, so stretch, rest, hydrate and feed your body, according to Santas.

4. Make a plan that fits your fitness

Not every workout plan is the same, and you want one that matches your goals and preferences.

Take CNN’s interactive fitness quiz to get matched to an exercise approach that’s right for you.

The results are based on factors such as where, how and with whom you would like to work out, and offers ways to get started.

5. Keep in touch

A method to stay accountable and a sense of community around exercise were among some of the most important methods of sustainably increasing exercise in a December 2021 study.

Scheduling when you will exercise ahead of time in a regular interval or finding a way to get fit with friends can help you keep going, according to a previous CNN article.

Even if you don’t have a fitness friend, you can sign up for our Life, But Better: Fitness newsletter for consistent information to feed your workout habits all year long.

The post Getting regular exercise in 2024 may actually be attainable with these 3 steps appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

Many families across the state do not have access to nutritious food in their community or if they do, they are unable to afford it. Without the means to purchase healthy foods, food bank recipients face tough choices about where to spend their money and what foods they eat. 

The Atlanta Community Food Bank hosted a Lunch and Learn webinar event in honor of Hunger Action Month where attendees learned about the meaning of the Georgia Farm Bill Reauthorization, the importance of Farm Bill nutrition programs, and how to take action/advocate to improve policies for more food-secure communities.  

What is the Farm Bill & its importance? 

The Farm Bill is the major federal food and farm legislation that includes a wide range of agricultural and nutrition policies.  

According to Kyle Waide, CEO, and president of the Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB), the Farm Bill is an important instrument for providing support to families who are facing food insecurity.  

The bill was first created during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl of the 1930s to address the farm economy. Congress seeks to reauthorize the Farm Bill every five years and they began the process of committee hearings and listening sessions in 2022 for the 2023 Farm Bill. 

According to the ACFB, in 2021, 33.8 million people in the United States suffer from food insecurity. Of that number, 9.2 million are children. In Georgia, for 2021, 1.1 million struggle with food insecurity, and of that number, 335,720 children are affected.  

Waide said it’s an important time in the Atlanta community and communities across the country to discuss the Farm Bill and the impact it can have in supporting more families.  

“In our food bank, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of people who are seeking assistance from us over the last 18 months,” he said. “We’ve seen the population of people seeking help through our network grow by more than 40 percent, which is an astonishing increase and that’s entirely related to the economic challenges that are facing so many of our neighbors across the community like inflation.” 

Farm Bill Policy Goals: SNAP, TEFAP, & CSFP 

Out of the $428 billion funding for the Farm Bill, nutrition makes up $325.8 billion (78%) of the overall budget. 

The Farm Bill impacts access to nutritious food for millions of American families struggling with hunger. Nutrition provisions include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). 

SNAP provides nine meals for every meal provided through food banks in Georgia. In June SNAP assisted over 693,000 Georgia families by providing over $256 million in food purchasing assistance. From October 2021 to November 2022, nearly 72% of SNAP participants were in families with children and nearly 32% were families with older adults or a family member with disabilities, according to Waide.  

Additionally, all eight food banks serving Georgia receive food through TEFAP and it accounted for 8% of the Atlanta Community Food Bank’s distribution in 2023, down from 34% in 2021, according to ACFB.  

Waide said these priorities are intended to protect and strengthen the federal nutrition programs by centering equity and the participant experience for neighbors. Their goal is to increase access, funding, and eligibility for nutrition programs to meet the nutritional needs of their neighbors and the communities they serve. 

The ACFB three policy goals are:  

1.     Strengthen TEFAP Funding: 

• $500 million for baseline TEFAP food purchases, adjusted for inflation by the Thrifty Food Plan; this would double the annual baseline funding from current levels
• Reauthorize and increase to $200 million discretionary funding for TEFAP Storage & Distribution grants 
• Reauthorize $15 million in discretionary funding for TEFAP Infrastructure Grants 
• Increase Funding and Streamline State Participation in the TEFAP Farm to Food Bank Program 
• Increase partnerships with growers and producers 

2.     Strengthen and Protect SNAP: 

• Strengthen SNAP benefits by protecting the TFP increase
• Simplify and streamline eligibility and enrollment processes 
• Strengthen efforts to support work
• Ensure parity in food assistance for U.S. Territories and Sovereignty for Native communities  

3.     Reauthorize and Streamline Reporting for CSFP 

2023 Farm Bill Timeline 

According to Waide and Middleton, the House and Senate Agriculture committees began holding Farm Bill congressional hearings and field hearings in 2022 and early 2023 to hear from advocates on how to improve nutrition programs in the Farm Bill. 

Several members of Congress have already introduced “marker” bills around policy priorities they want to address in the Farm Bill. A marker bill is a policy proposal that is introduced as individual legislation and can be used as a starting point to debate inclusion of it in bigger legislation like the farm bill. 

So far, committees have begun drafting their versions of the Farm Bill, in which the House and Senate Agriculture Committees will each release their versions this fall. The current Farm Bill expires Sept. 30, and it’s expected Congress will pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) to allow the programs to continue during this process. The last several farm bills have not been passed on time. 

Additionally, Waide said there’s a lot of discussion going around regarding the approach of a potential government shutdown within the next few days, which could have an impact on the new farm bill getting authorized.  

“We are expecting this farm bill process to take a while to reach its conclusion due to the talks of a potential government shutdown and until Congress resolves that debate, it’s hard for the bill to get completed until it’s resolved,” he said. “It’s possible that a new Farm Bill won’t get authorized as far away as December 2024, so this could be quite a marathon and we’re going to need everyone’s engagement to let Congress know how much demand and need is in our community right now and how important SNAP and all the other policies/programs are.” 

A government shutdown would disrupt the U.S. economy and the lives of millions of Americans who work for the government or rely on federal services from the military personnel and air traffic controllers who would be asked to work without pay to some seven million people in the Women, Infants and Children program, including half the babies born in the U.S., who could lose access to nutritional benefits.

What can the community do? 

The Atlanta Community Food Bank gave attendees tips on what they can do to help:  

1.      Contact your member of Congress and Senators Warnock and Ossoff 

• Call their district or DC office and tell them you support our priorities. 
• Email 
• Follow on social media and post Farm Bill priorities 
• Learn about your member of Congress, you may find a personal connection: you possibly attended the same high school or college/university; religious organization; other activity. 

2.     Encourage others to advocate for food secure communities. 

• Family, friends, and co-workers 
• Board members, business leaders, faith leaders, Local elected officials, healthcare providers, local businesses, local farmers 
• Call/email them about the Farm Bill and our priorities 
• Encourage them to contact their MOC/Senators about our Farm Bill priorities.
  
  For more information, visit https://www.acfb.org.  

The post Atlanta Community Food Bank hosts Farm Bill for Hunger Action month webinar appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

(CNN) — As he was growing up, Jeremy Givens says the narrative he heard around Black fathers was different than the one he lived.

In movies, television and generalized conversation, they were portrayed as absent, not engaged and overall, not very good fathers, he said.

“In my own experiences — not just with my father but with my uncles and my colleagues and my grandfathers — it was something that was polar opposite, something that was wonderful, that was inspiring, that was nourishing,” Givens said.

Now a father himself, Givens is president and executive director of the Black American Dad Foundation, an organization aiming to counter biased perceptions of Black fathers with firsthand accounts.

Father’s Day this year falls a day before Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, and fathers and mental health experts told CNN they are sharing the importance of fatherhood and their experience with and as Black dads.

Fathers are important for helping their children see all they can be, said Dr. Jennifer Noble, a licensed psychologist based in Los Angeles.

Seeing both moms and dads changing a diaper, nurturing a child and engaging in play helps boys and girls relate to both of their parents, she said.

“Therefore, as a kid, I get to identify both versions of it, and figure out what fits best for me,” Noble said.

What we know about dads

A classic image of the traditional father figure shows him with outstretched arms trying to coax a fearful child on the edge of a pool into the water.

“The father is in the pool and says, ‘OK, jump, jump, jump into the pool!’ And the kid is scared,” Noble said. “What they’re doing is trusting, but then they’re accessing bravery … to jump into the water because they know father’s there to take care of them.”

Often, good fathers can offer lessons in playfulness, care, support, courage and discipline, Noble said. And data shows that Black dads are doing so regularly.

Seventy percent of Black fathers who live with their children were most likely to have bathed, dressed, changed or helped their child with the toilet every day, compared with their White (60%) or Hispanic (45%) counterparts, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2013 National Health Statistics Report.

Those Black fathers were also most likely to have eaten a meal with their children, the data showed.

These numbers were high, and not just for biological fathers living inside the home, said Dr. Erlanger Turner, a licensed psychologist and associate professor of psychology at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, via email.

“It also indicates that Black fathers often step into the role of (stepparent) or maintain consistent involvement when living outside of the home,” he added.

This involvement is important for many reasons, one of which is that data shows that children with involved fathers are at lower risk for developing disruptive behavior and mental health difficulties, Turner said.

Even when a biological father isn’t present, the role can be filled by other men who care about the child — an important concept in African American culture, Noble said.

“You can have perhaps multiple fathers or father figures and grandparents, who can play a very strong role that is just as strong, if not stronger than the father,” she said. “You really do have uncles and grandparents and coaches and community members, pastors that can step in and really provide all those things like the guidance, the empathy, the attunement and support.”

How media portrayals get it wrong

If data shows that Black fathers are often involved in the daily care of their children, why is that story not being told?

Often, movies, TV shows and news stories about Black fathers come from secondary sources — not by Black dads or those who have been raised by them, Givens said.

As a result, the father of a Black family can be portrayed as either absent or not a very good dad.

“Sometimes we miss some of the nuance and just think, ‘Oh, that’s every Black family everywhere,’” Noble said.

Given the history of racism in the United States, some Black fathers may face disproportionate incarceration rates or have difficulty in obtaining jobs to provide for their families, she added. But such hardships are only part of the story of Black fatherhood.

“Maybe we need to change the evidence that’s available to really kind of get a more representative picture,” Noble said.

How to right this narrative

For a narrative that better represents Black fathers, we need to emphasize who is telling the story, Givens said.

The Black American Dad Foundation and other groups are trying to put out stories from Black fathers themselves, Givens said. He wants more primary sources for the cultural understanding of Black families.

He also encourages dads to think about the behavior they are modeling for their children.

“I think it’s important to show your children that you are human and that you make mistakes and it’s OK that you find ways to get through them,” Givens said. “Not only do you show them your successes but show them your failures as well.”

And fathers shouldn’t be afraid to show their vulnerable side to their children, Turner said.

“For boys, it really is helpful to have male figures model healthy coping and emotional expression,” he said. “While mothers can also play an important role, I think it lands differently when boys see how their father is able to confidently talk about emotions like sadness or anxiety.”

Yet doing so isn’t always easy. Givens recalls his own difficulty three years ago when he told his son, Cohen, that he was moving out of state and wouldn’t see him for a few weeks.

“This doesn’t change anything,” the single dad remembers saying to his son, then 5, who now lives in Arizona with his mom. “I want to make sure you know that I love you, and I will always love you and be with you.”

Givens can’t forget his son’s response. “It’s OK, Daddy. You just have to try,” he recalled the boy saying.

The post Black dads are more likely to play, dress and share a meal with their child, data shows appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

Xceleader announced a new partnership with BetterHelp, the world’s largest online therapy platform, providing 200 students enrolled at Historically Black Colleges and Universities with three months of access to free counseling services.

This partnership offers much-needed mental health support to students and promotes a proactive approach to mental health and wellness.

In 2018, Xceleader was created by three HBCU alumni: Aarian Forman (Tennessee State University), Jade Agudosi (Howard University), and Tevon Blair (Dillard University).

Recently, there has been a significant rise in the prevalence of depression and anxiety among Black students. A study from the National Institutes of Health found that approximately 34% of Black students reported feeling “so depressed in the last year it was difficult to function.”

Xceleader’s primary focus is on providing students with access to resources, mentorship, and opportunities to enable them to thrive academically and professionally. By partnering with BetterHelp, Xceleader aims to further their mission by addressing the pressing need for mental health support among students, especially those actively engaged in leadership roles on campus.

BetterHelp offers a wide range of mental health services, including therapy, counseling, and self-help resources. Now, HBCU students have access to additional resources to take charge of their mental health while being leaders on campus and in their communities.

This partnership represents a significant step forward in addressing the mental health challenges faced by students at HBCUs. By working together, Xceleader and BetterHelp hope to promote a proactive approach to mental health and wellness, creating a brighter future for students in the HBCU community. Students can access the voucher code by joining Xceleader’s email list.

The three founders spoke to the Atlanta Voice about their new partnership with BetterHelp and furthering their organization.

The Atlanta Voice: How did the partnership with BetterHelp come to be?

Aarian Forman: Working closely with students, we started to hear more stories about the challenges they were facing, relative to their mental wellness, and the impact it was having on their academic and personal lives. Most recently, the tragic loss of a student’s life has brought to light the critical importance of mental health support and services for students, especially within the HBCU community. We believed that BetterHelp, with its robust platform of virtual counseling services, was uniquely positioned to help address this pressing need.

AV: Is there a mentor in your life that inspires you as a business owner?

AF: Both of my role models in business are Black women. Dr. Glover, President of Tennessee State University, continues to inspire me to aim high, use my platform, and resources to support HBCUs and champion them in every space I’m in. Since my time serving as SGA President at TSU until now, she has continued to be an example of brilliance and leadership. Elicia Azali, Enterprise Chief Marketing Officer at American Family Insurance Group, gave me an opportunity of a lifetime, a seat at the table as a green professional. I was working directly with senior leaders early in my career and watching her has taught me so much and continues to inspire me. These women are two leaders that prove to me that it’s possible for me one day.

AV: Was there a moment that inspired you to start Xceleader?

Jade Agudosi: As an alumna of Howard University, I understand the importance of giving back to my alma mater and driving change among the broader HBCU community. When we started Xceleader, we saw a need to create an organization to share our gained knowledge and experiences in leadership with new and aspiring leaders as an opportunity to give back through service, time, and resources.

AV: What are your business goals for 2023 with Xceleader?

JA: In previous years, our programming and engagement were mostly conducted in virtual settings. However, we are excited to share that Atlanta will now serve as the home for Xceleader. Moving forward, we will focus on programming specifically designed for HBCU students and alumni in the Atlanta area, while also establishing connections with university and non-profit leaders.

AV: Any advice to future business owners about taking the plunge?

Tevon Blair: For aspiring nonprofit leaders seeking to support Black students, my advice is to lead with purpose and the ability to be adaptable to change. In our experience, the pandemic shifted how our programs and how we provided support to students. By listening to the challenges, they encountered, we were able to continue serving as a valuable resource to students as the outside environments constantly changed.

AV: How do you plan on building off this partnership with BetterHelp?

TB: At Xceleader, our work focuses on developing students as leaders whether it is on campus, in the classroom or within communities. However, mental health is often left out of the conversation when students are actively involved and we hope to address this issue through our partnership with BetterHelp by promoting a proactive approach to mental health and wellness, creating a brighter future for students in the HBCU community.  

The post Xceleader & BetterHelp provides free mental health support to 200 students at HBCUs appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

Editor’s note: Before beginning any new exercise program, consult your doctor. Stop immediately if you experience pain.

    (CNN) — Many people struggle to maintain a regular workout regimen. Add in a disability, chronic condition or injury, and it can be even more challenging to incorporate exercise into a weekly routine. Yet it’s important to do so.

Adults with disabilities are three times more likely to develop serious health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer than those without disabilities, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the impact of these health conditions can be lessened or possibly even avoided with regular aerobic exercise, nearly half of adults ages 18 to 64 with a disability are not engaging in any, the CDC says.

“Regular exercise can provide many benefits for people with disabilities, including improved overall health, increased strength and endurance, better mobility, and improved mental health,” said Lalitha McSorley, owner and lead physical therapist at Brentwood Physiotherapy Clinic in Calgary, Alberta.

Regular exercise can also help manage the symptoms associated with some disabilities. For example, exercise can reduce the pain and stiffness that often accompanies arthritis, and it can improve cognitive function in people with cognitive issues, she said. Additionally, a consistent workout routine can boost self-esteem and provide valuable socialization and community engagement.

In 2020, the World Health Organization released the first global public health guidelines regarding physical activity for those with disabilities and chronic conditions, including diabetes, hypertension and cancer. These guidelines are the same as the US Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans for all adults: Every week you should do at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity or an equal combination of both. In addition, you should perform muscle-strengthening activities two or more days per week.

Exercises to consider if you have limited mobility

Which types of exercise are appropriate and helpful will depend upon your specific health situation. In general, some good options are swimming, walking, water aerobics, cycling and seated workouts, said Bishnu Pada Das, a certified personal trainer based in Kolkata, India. Examples of seated workouts include using a hand cycle and performing chair exercises with or without weights.

Chair exercises can be as simple as power punches in which you punch your arms in front of you in an alternating fashion, Das said, or alternating kicks, which involve holding your chair for support, then alternating leg kicks. Even torso rotations are beneficial, twisting from side to side and using your arms to help with the rotations.

Activities such as water aerobics and pool running are favored by Dr. Heather Swain, a physical therapist at Ally Total Physical Therapy in Toledo, Ohio. “The reduced gravity with aquatic exercise helps people to be more mobile,” Swain said. “It can be empowering to see your body move and accomplish movements you couldn’t outside of the water.” The hydrostatic pressure of the water also helps enhance blood flow and reduces inflammation.

If you don’t have easy access to a pool, Swain considers yoga a great, and often underrated, option. Yoga can help maintain flexibility and balance, no matter your skill level, which reduces your risk of injury, she said. In addition, the breath work involved benefits pelvic health, back pain, cognitive function and mental health.

Movement helps relieve joint stiffness

Those with joint issues may benefit more from isometric exercises in which you tighten a certain muscle or muscle groups. Think exercises such as planks, squats and wall sits. Isometric exercises help maintain muscle strength while preventing further muscle deterioration.

If you have lower-body issues or are unsteady on your feet, chair aerobics are a good choice. Using rapid, repetitive motions, such as doing bicep curls or marching in place, chair aerobics workouts can loosen stiff joints while boosting your heart rate. Adding in dumbbells or resistance bands incorporates strength training, too. Performing chair yoga, or even stretching throughout the day, aids in flexibility and can help reduce the pain and muscle pressure that can come when you sit for long periods of time.

No matter what form of exercise you decide on, several factors can help ensure your success. Schedule your workouts for the time of day you tend to feel best, said certified personal trainer Kelly Borowiec, founder of Keebs Fitness in Saratoga, California. It also helps to make sure you’re as comfortable as possible while exercising.

“If you struggle with arthritis, increase the room temperature where you’ll be exercising,” said Borowiec, who has extensive experience working with clients who have disabilities or long-term injuries. “Set goals, too, as having a physical disability doesn’t mean you can’t make progress. And focus on what you can do, rather than what you can’t do.”

Swain agreed. “It can be easy to focus on your limitations,” she said. “Exercising can remind you of what your body can do, and can give you a sense of empowerment and accomplishment that is valuable to your self-efficacy.”

The post How to exercise when you have a chronic condition or a disability appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

(CNN) — For many people, back pain can make it difficult to function in everyday life. It affects how you move, feel and think, leaving you with no choice but to take some kind of action to alleviate the pain.

But what if, instead of being reactive, you took small daily steps to proactively avoid back pain altogether?

Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the everyday actions that contribute to back pain — or steps that can be taken to avoid it. If you suffer from back pain, read on for six everyday fixes.

Move more

Our bodies need adequate movement throughout the day to keep joints mobile and blood circulating through our muscles to avoid the stiffness that contributes to aches and pains. This is especially true for spinal vertebrae and back muscles.

It sounds clichéd, but if the weather is good, don’t hunt for the parking spot nearest a store; don’t take the elevator when you have the option of one or two flights of stairs. When you need to sit for prolonged periods, set a timer to get up every hour and be active for just a few minutes.

More minutes of movement add up to big health benefits over time. In addition to promoting back health, actively moving for just 11 minutes a day increases your life span, according to research. To add more movement into your day, consider instituting a daily walk. You can also try this 10-minute bodyweight workout or this five-minute yoga routine.

Switch sides

When we overuse our dominant side, we create muscle patterns of weakness and tension that increase pain and the likelihood of injury — especially in our backs. Consider the actions you take repeatedly throughout the day that shift your weight to one side: opening doors, carrying a bag, holding a leash to walk your dog, etc.

In my career as a mobility coach in professional sports, I’ve noticed that many of the athletes least prone to injury were ambidextrous in some manner — NHL or MLB players who play recreational golf left-handed but play their respective sports right-hand dominant, for example.

Since most people aren’t naturally ambidextrous, I create movement programs for athletes that address and counter dominant-side repetitive patterns to help restore alignment and decrease susceptibility to associated pain and injury.

You can apply the same approach in your daily life by switching sides when you carry things, such as a computer bag or purse; using your opposite hand every so often for basic activities, such as opening doors; and not always sitting on the same side of the couch.

Correct imbalances

Just as you switch sides to balance out your body, you should also be aware of and correct imbalances in movements meant to be symmetrical. These include walking, running, cycling, swimming and the like. Our bodies are designed to perform these activities in a balanced, alternating and reciprocal pattern.

When we deviate from that symmetry by using one side more or keeping our weight shifted, we can overuse back muscles on one side of our bodies and create spinal stress that leads to back pain and increased potential for injury.

To learn more about how to recognize and correct imbalances in your walking pattern, watch this video.

Stop slumping

It might seem like the only thing you need to do to avoid slumping is to catch yourself doing it and stop — but how you correct that slump matters.

Don’t just squeeze your shoulders back to avoid slouching; posture and breathing are intimately connected, so you should check in with your breathing as you sit upright, taking some long, deep breaths with lower rib movement to help drop your rib cage into a better position to support your posture and avoid unnecessary back pain.

Regularly practicing the posture-fixing exercises in this video will help.

Stay present

Psychological stress is a noted risk factor for back pain, according to research. Because most mental stress is caused by focusing on the past or future, actively being mindful of the present moment reduces stress.

A few minutes a day of mindfulness can go a long way toward minimizing the impact of stress. Additionally, mindfulness practices such as meditation, tai chi and qigong have all shown efficacy in reducing back pain.

Breathing is our most profound connection to the present moment as it is always happening in the here and now. Taking “breathing breaks” throughout your day is an easy way to add a mindfulness practice to your routine. Try the exercise in this video to get started.

Be proactive

Every day, you do things to take care of yourself, such as showering and brushing your teeth. If you are someone who regularly suffers from back pain, you need to approach the health of your back as a responsibility as well, creating a game plan of daily activities to practice for back health.

This should include some of the tips listed above but, because back pain can have many causes, you should learn more about the cause of your pain to determine the best course of action for you. For instance, if your pain is sciatic, you may better manage it using some of the exercises in the video here.

If your back hurts at the end of the day, don’t just decide it was a “bad” day. Ask yourself if you practiced the activities you know help you avoid the stress and tension causing you discomfort. Taking a proactive, daily-life approach to cultivating a healthy body is the key to keeping back pain at bay.

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(CNN) — Even if you’ve never been physically active, you can start moving now and see benefits.

That’s according to a new study, which found that any amount of physical activity starting at any age is helpful for long-term cognitive health.

Researchers already knew that people who participate in physical activity in their leisure time have a lower risk for dementia and higher cognitive function later in life than those who are inactive, said study author Dr. Sarah-Naomi James, a research fellow at MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at University College London.

What researchers didn’t know was whether there was a specific time in life by which a person needed to get active or if there was an activity threshold they needed to meet to see those benefits, James said.

The study, published Tuesday in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, tracked the physical activity patterns of nearly 1,500 people over the course of 30 years in adulthood. At age 69, the participants were tested on their cognitive state, verbal memory and processing speed, according to the study.

While lifelong physical activity was associated with the best cognitive results later in life, being active at any time to any extent was associated with higher cognition, the study found.

Even people who became active in their 50s or 60s achieved better cognitive scores when they reached 70 years old, James said. A surprisingly small amount of activity — as little as once a month — at any time across adulthood was helpful, she added.

“It seems clear from this study and others that small doses of exercise across the lifespan and starting young is very beneficial to long term health,” said Dr. William Roberts, professor of family medicine and community health at the University of Minnesota Medical School, via email.

Roberts was not involved in the research.

On a societal level, the findings show a need for more access to education that encourage skills and motivation for physical activity at any age, according to the study.

How to get active

For people who have been active regularly, the results should be encouraging and suggest that their investment can pay off, Roberts said.

“For people who have never been physically active, or have gone through a period of inactivity, start!” James said via email.

If you are not exactly an athlete who loves to break a sweat, there are still ways to work some activity into your life.

To build a habit that sticks, it is important to set a goal, make a specific plan, find a way to make it fun, stay flexible and get social support, said behavioral scientist Katy Milkman, author of “How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be,” in a 2021 interview with CNN. Milkman is the James G. Dinan Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

You can start slow, said Dana Santas, CNN fitness contributor and mind-body coach for professional athletes.

“Fitting in 10 minutes of exercise every day is so much easier than people think. Consider how fast 10 minutes goes by when you’re mindlessly scrolling social media or watching your favorite TV show,” Santas told CNN in a 2022 interview. “It’s not a big-time investment, but it can deliver big health benefits.”

Yoga is a great way to be active while relieving stress — and is easily accessible for all levels online, she said.

And walking outside or on a treadmill is one of the simplest ways to bring exercise in consistently, Santas said.

“Walking is the most underrated, corrective, mind-body, fat-burning exercise available to humans,” she added. “I walk every single day.”

Regular walks can be a great opportunity to multitask, if you use them to bond with family, friends and neighbors, Santas added.

If you want to boost the intensity of you walk, Santas recommended adding in harder intervals, weights or a heavy backpack.

“Walking for five minutes every hour goes a long way,” Evan Matthews, associate professor of exercise science and physical education at New Jersey’s Montclair State University, told CNN in 2021. “It doesn’t need to even be moderate intensity. Just move.”

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