Chronic Illness and Holistic Wellness

           How can dirt be beneficial? Not only does it benefit your immune system, it also benefits your mental health.      Your immune system is like a catalog. When it faces something new, it studies it, destroys it, and remembers it. Dirt is filled with micro organisms. When you interact with the dirt, your immune system analyzes the micro organisms and adds it to its memory. This strengthens the immune system by allowing it to better recognize harmful organisms in the future and destroy them quickly. This lowers the risk of getting sick and if you do get sick, the symptoms are not as severe and last a shorter amount of time.      Dirt contain microbes, which help increase production of serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that boosts mood. This can help ease symptoms of depression or sadness.     Common ways to interact with dirt: - Gardening      Outdoor gardening is a great way to get your hands in dirt. It is also very rewarding to grow beautiful flowers, veggies, fruits

The current recommendation is at least 30 min of physical activity daily. There are two types of exercise, anaerobic and aerobic. Anaerobic occurs in the first part of intense exercise, as it does not use oxygen in creating energy. Aerobic is longer lasting energy, think marathon vs dash. This form uses oxygen to create energy. Both are needed for a well balanced work out.  Biking mostly uses Aerobic exercise. It is a great form of cardio which increases heart and vascular health and helps lower risk of heart disease. It also helps  greatly strengthen the legs (including thighs and calves), glutes, core muscles, and benefits the deltoids, biceps, and triceps. Biking is also easier on joints than running, allowing more people to enjoy a great cardio workout. This allows families to workout together, bond, and have fun.  Here are some common biking methods. Hopefully one of them sparks some interest! Make sure to do your research before doing an activity, to ensure you conduct it safely.