According to an article written by AARP, if you name any common disease associated with aging — cancer, dementia, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes — chronic inflammation will play a role.

In a way, chronic inflammation is like too much of a good thing. After all, something such as your finger swelling around a cut means that immune cells are doing their job (rushing to the scene and spewing out inflammatory compounds that kill bacteria and prevent infection). This is considered healthy, and necessary inflammation.

But chronic low-grade inflammation that persists for weeks, months, or years is the disease-triggering variety. Again, it's your immune cells in action. But instead of fighting foreign bacteria, they're silently attacking your own body — your blood vessels, brain cells, and your organs.

Studies aren’t too sure exactly how or why this happens although stress is known to raise levels of inflammatory compounds in the body — as does being overweight. Fat cells parked deep in the belly emit inflammatory compounds when they reach a critical mass. Genetics are also known to influence your susceptibility to inflammation.

AARP goes into how the food you consume can impact inflammation in your body, and if you want you can read their article HERE.

For our purposes, we’re going to talk about all things exercise when it comes to chronic (and otherwise extremely unwanted) inflammation.

Let's get started!

First off, it's going to be safe for me to say that here at Dunnebells, we love a sweaty and intense workout. We really do! We have no shame in admitting it! However, we do suggest keeping these intense workouts to around 30-45 minutes if you can, for your physical health obviously, but also for your mental health. Get in, and get out. We don’t believe that you need to spend numerous hours at the gym to get the results you’re looking for. There is just no real need to push yourself so hard that you don’t even recognize yourself.

In regards to today's conversation, long and intense workouts can also lead to higher levels of inflammatory mediators which can lead to chronic inflammation - which by now you should be wanting to steer clear of at all costs! It can also lead to injury! So, while we do love a sweaty and intense workout - we do believe in balancing them out with some less intense sessions as well as rest days and ultimately listening to your body.

Aside from keeping your workouts short and sweaty, and giving your body the time and space to rest and recover - what exercises can you do that can be effective in keeping inflammation down?

Here are a handful of activities that should be incorporated into everyone's exercise routine, in our opinion.

Nothing takes you back to feeling like a kid quite like riding a bike, and this is something I can vouch for. We’ve been riding bikes as our primary mode of transportation for at least three weeks now. Moving to Australia and having to rely on our bodies to get around (we’re cheap and we refuse to pay money for UBER or for any public transportation unless we absolutely have to - which, we haven’t had to yet) has been an absolute eye-opener. Aside from having to really plan ahead if we’re to be walking 4km’s to an appointment in the beginning to now finding the safest and quickest routes on our bikes - we’ve actually gotten healthier. Riding a bike is so fun, and an extremely efficient way of getting around - whether as transportation or just for leisure.

I can feel myself getting stronger and healthier every time I sit on that dreadful seat, I swear!

And, back to my original point, when we’re riding our bikes together we often feel like we’re kids again. Sometimes when I'm exhausted I don't really feel like admitting that I’ve had a great time, but the truth is, I love it.

There is something about riding a bike that feels good (and its not my butt, at all - that hurts like you wouldn’t believe) and I think everyone should get out on their bike as soon as humanly possible. Understandably its still winter in Canada but if you’re anywhere where the ground isn’t covered in snow - go for a bike ride!

Don’t have a bike? Find one! Someone you know probably has one in the garage that they’re not using. Or, alternatively, you can find a used one online, I’m sure of it.

Really not sure that you can? Don’t fret - if you have a gym membership - there is likely a stationary bike there that you can use.

Not only is cycling a lower intensity activity that can help in the reduction of inflammation, but it also increases your cardiovascular health, increases your muscle strength and your flexibility, improves your joint mobility and it increases your overall happiness.

Swimming is one of my FAVORITE ways to exercise and luckily for me, it’s another one of those activities that makes me feel like a kid again. Simply jumping into the pool and immersing myself in the water is enough to send me into a state of pure happiness.

Surely, the happiness fades about 300m in when I can no longer breathe and my laps are taking forever but it resumes at full force when I get out of the pool and feel proud of myself for doing hard things.

Swimming is a sport that literally anyone can do, and should do.

First off, if you can’t swim - don’t worry. You’re not the only one. There are a lot of adults who either are terrified of water or who never learned to swim. If you’re looking to learn to swim - I highly suggest finding swimming lessons near you, and if you can’t afford lessons - ask a friend. If someone were to ask me to take them to the pool and give them some lessons (I am not a certified instructor, but I’ve been swimming since the day I arrived on earth) I would do it in a heartbeat. I believe that everyone should at least know how to swim in case they are ever in a situation where their life depends on it - but swimming for exercise is also something I think everyone could benefit from as well.

Regular swimming can delay the effects of aging by reducing blood pressure, increasing muscle mass, improving oxygen and blood flow to the brain, and increasing cardiovascular health. For seniors particularly swimming can also improve physical strength and balance.

Swimming also burns a TON of calories, it's great for anyone with asthma, increases flexibility, lowers stress and depression, lowers inflammation, and guess what? Swimming is said to make you smarter. Imagine that!

Weights are great for building muscle, burning fat, and a handful of other incredible health benefits.

However, there is a lot to say about bodyweight exercises too, and if you’re looking for some lower intensity movements to add to your workouts so you can really get the full benefits of exercise - I suggest adding some bodyweight sessions to your routine!

One benefit of bodyweight exercises that outweighs all others, is their convenience! It gives you a lot of freedom to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle! You can do this type of exercise ANYTIME, ANYWHERE. This is something to consider if you lead a very busy lifestyle. If you can’t fit in the gym, or you know that you’re going to be out of town (or stuck in the office all day) know that you can fit in a few bodyweight movements to your day.

Not only is it convenient and great as a low-intensity workout, but this type of exercise also works your whole body which builds strength, but also balance, and mobility.

Lucy Dunne, CEO and head trainer here at Dunnebells will take you through a 15 minute Body Weight Workout if you don’t know where to start. Simply CLICK HERE to follow along on YouTube.

I find yoga extremely difficult. It's hard for me to slow down my brain, to focus, and to also do all the movements that they throw in there sometimes. I’ll be casually moving from down dog to plank, back go down dog, then into plank, and all of a sudden I'm doing an intense ab workout. Maybe it's not intense but it does feel like it, in the middle of all those relaxing movements!

Anyone else?

I can’t be the only one. Surely I am not the only one struggling to breathe correctly either, am I?

Yoga is so so so beneficial, and I do love it - even though I find it ridiculously hard sometimes. Yoga is another one of those low-intensity exercises that are great for reducing inflammation!

Yoga is also another one of those things that you can do in the comfort of your own home - for free if that's what you’re into. Sure, if you want to head out and benefit from a studio and the community that comes with yoga, great! Please do. I’ve met many amazing people at studios all over the globe - but it's not necessary!

If you’re a beginner, or if you’ve been practicing for some time now, the benefits are always there! Yoga has so many benefits that it's almost hard to not go on for hours about them.

The breathing techniques that are used in yoga (and quite literally one of the more important parts of yoga) help reduce stress - which lowers inflammation and hormonal imbalances - as well as improves blood flow which can lower your blood pressure.

Yoga has also been proven to prevent and treat back pain; boost posture and balance; increase range of motion; reduce anxiety and depression; increase stamina; and improve sleep quality.

Obviously, yoga is high up on our list of low-impact exercises that can help with a LOT of things, in particular to this conversation - decrease unhealthy inflammation!

Not sure where to start? Yoga with Adriene is by far my favorite FREE source for yoga, which you can start today by heading to her YouTube channel Yoga With Adriene. Adriene and her pup Benji (whom I will admit makes the practice that much more enjoyable) have all sorts of videos available to you, at every stage of your yoga practice. You can find videos for beginners, videos for lower back pain, videos for tight hips, as well as 30-day sequences to build better habits!

Last, but certainly not least (rather likely the MOST important and EASY exercise to implement today) is walking. Surely, at some point during the day, you can find time to go for a walk.

Obviously walking on a treadmill is beneficial, but there's really something special about getting outside and getting in a few steps, at least once a day.

Walking doesn’t require much, but it's said that even twenty minutes of walking a day can reduce inflammation - and it's something that you can do anywhere, for as long as your body will let you. My grandma is 80 this year and every day it's possible for her (the only days that its impossible is when its icy during the winter) she will walk at least 3km’s and I feel like if she can do that consistently for YEARS, then surely I can, and you can, too!

Mind you, you don’t have to walk a hefty distance if you’re already incorporating exercise in other forms. Walking is something that you can do on TOP of what you’re already doing.

You’ll get the benefits of walking, as well as the benefits of the sun, fresh air, and simply just being outside. Walking outdoors is SO good for your mental health, and its so good for lowering your inflammation as well.

Walking also increases your metabolic rate and is great for your heart.

If you’re working during the week, consider taking a fifteen-minute break and getting outside for a walk. Or, before you transition from work mode into life mode, schedule yourself one last ‘meeting’ and make it a twenty-minute walk, either by yourself or someone else. Making small changes like this can quite literally make ALL the difference.

Filling up your water bottle, over and over and over again

Okay, I know that I said that walking was going to be the last one - but what the heck? What's another easy task to add to our plate, you know?

Fill up your dang water bottle, and then drink it. ALL OF IT. Then, walk back to the sink (or water dispenser, you fancy person, you) and fill it up again. When you’ve done that, drink it.

Repeat this throughout the day.

Not only will you benefit from filling it up (you’ve had to walk there, and use your muscles, right?) but you’re also going to benefit from staying hydrated. Drinking water and staying hydrated is INSTRUMENTAL in reducing inflammation.

I know it's hard, but seriously - you’ve got to.

In conclusion, I just want to say this one thing:

If you find yourself dreading the activity (whatever it is), the more that it becomes a source of stress, and when it comes to reducing inflammation, its awfully counterproductive. Stress increases inflammation and we’re not here to do that.

Which leaves me with this - you need to find what works for you. For me, it's swimming and walking. These are two things that I actually ENJOY doing. Do I do them every day? Nope. I sure don’t.

But I do know that they are important and I make sure that I fit them in during the week. For my mental health, yes, but also for my physical health. And, truthfully - because the aging kind of scares me. The process of aging doesn’t really work in anybody's favor - so it's our personal responsibility to do what we can to best support the one body that we have so that we can age well. I don’t (and I bet you don't either) want to grow old and frail and be overweight and unhappy. I want to live my life to the fullest, and I certainly don’t want to be in pain if I can at all help it.

As the AARP mentioned before, if you name any common disease associated with aging — cancer, dementia, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes — and chronic inflammation will play a role.

Chronic inflammation is often brought on by lifestyle choices, exercise being one of them (or, lack thereof).

Other factors that contribute to chronic inflammation are stress, poor diet, and lack of sleep.

When you don’t eat well and carry extra pounds, the resulting inflammation increases your body’s sensitivity. Your body begins to respond by developing more inflammation. This shouldn’t be news anymore.

Many foods cause inflammation by triggering a rise in blood sugar and other negative body processes. These foods lead to you feeling blah and low on energy.

Some inflammatory-causing foods are:

Fried foods such as french fries and fried chicken
Processed meats like smoked meat, ham, and beef jerky
Refined carbs such as sugary foods (examples are soft drinks and some cereals)
Alcohol in excess
Food with added sugar and high-fructose corn syrup
Excess caffeine
Transfats and saturated fats such as in packaged cookies and margarine

Some anti-inflammatory foods are:

tomatoes
olive oil
green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, and collards
nuts like almonds and walnuts
fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines
fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges

The good news for all of us is this - we don’t have to spend hours at the gym or spend thousands of dollars on a nutritionist and completely flip our lives upside down to reduce our risk of chronic inflammation. All we need (should need, anyway) is a bit of moderate exercise, some antiinflammatory foods, and fewer foods that are known to increase inflammation.

Seems simple enough, doesn’t it?

Start today by choosing one thing you can implement, and one thing you want to try in the next week or two!

If you want to stay in the loop on topics just like this, then please feel free to head over to our free Facebook Group by clicking HERE. Dunnebells is an online community of women who are dedicated to tackling the pretty, and not so pretty sides of taking care of themselves. Sure, we lift heavyweights (and we recommend low-intensity workouts inside of our exclusive app as well) but we’re more than just that.

Want to know more about our programs and how you can work with us? Head on over to our website www.dunnebells.com or find us on Instagram @dunnebells_

As always, none of the above images are mine, however, I. do have the right to use them as they have been sourced from a FREE online tool called UNSPLASH. Thank you to all artists who upload their work so people like me can tell our story visually as well.

Low intensity exercises that can reduce inflammation

RIDING A BIKE

SWIMMING

Bodyweight exercises

yoga

walking

Filling up your water bottle, over and over and over again

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