MSI Press Blog

  excerpt from Exercising in a Pandemic   by Pat Young:  (note: good information for any time where opportunities are limited)  Healthy Advantages             A leading medical journal, Lancet, states that people who are physically active have only 35 days of poor mental health per year on average, compared to those who are not physically active, who have closer to 53 down days.             Another medical establishment, Nuvance Health, states that exercise boosts the immune system and keeps it functioning optimally. This is certainly an advantage during a pandemic such as the corona virus outbreak. Exercise reduces stress, prevents weight gain and improves sleep. Many exercise enthusiasts say they are actually energized after a workout. Exercising also offers the opportunity to enjoy social activities, something curtailed by pandemic safety precautions.             By working and exercising with family and friends (following social distancing rules), using online fitness resou

  The following is the story behind Exercising in a Pandemic (Young) From the author: When the pandemic hit, I talked to many people who were dismayed at the temporary closing of places like the YMCA (where I used to be a volunteer and where I frequently went to exercise) and other fitness centers around town. Especially for women, ongoing exercise is important in order to retain muscles and flexibility. For everyone, no matter what age or gender, exercise is so good for keeping the brain and the body healthy. Many of us were working out at home, and that inspired my book, Exercising in a Pandemic. There are so many ways to work out at home, even while doing chores or watching television.  The idea is to just keep moving. One example from my book is to include kids or pets in the action – lift them instead of weights. They might think it is fun. The ideas are simple and imaginative. Even now that the pandemic is behind us, working out at home is easy and convenient to add to your day,

excerpt from Exercising in a Pandemic (Young) -  Exercising In the House             Exercising at home doesn’t involve travel time to the gym, and it sets a good example for kids and other family members who might be parked in front of the television set or computer screen. Maybe they will get up and exercise with you. Maybe you can switch the television or computer to an exercise program and involve the whole family, or just leave the television on and exercise while you watch something the whole family enjoys. If the television is turned off, find some lively music on the radio to work out with. Stretch to classical or new age music. Work out to jazz or rock. Find whatever lively music your whole family likes if you are working out together. Working out to music you enjoy makes exercising more fun. You will be more likely to continue an exercise regimen.             Start with basic exercises. Jumping jacks, stretches, squats, lunges and push-ups or knee push-ups are good starters.

  Excerpt from Exercising in a Pandemic Isolation             COVID-19, with all the pandemic’s accompanying closures and self-isolation, required a change of lifestyle, especially for those who were used to being active and following an exercise regimen. For several months, people were not able to go to the gym, the golf course or the tennis court. You couldn’t go for a walk in the park or on the beach to stay active, because parks and beaches were closed as well. With the stay-at-home order in place, even socializing was curtailed, and socializing goes hand-in-hand with staying active and exercising. Businesses and restaurants were closed. Shopping malls, where many people would go to enjoy their walks, were closed.             Innovative ways to stay active were born almost overnight, because exercise is the known core to staying healthy, both physically and mentally. Did you notice people out walking that you had never seen before in the neighborhood, and yards newly landscaped and

  Looking for something new to read on your Kindle? These are our newest -- fresh out: Click HERE for posts on Women, We're Only Old Once. Click HERE for posts on Weekly Soul . Click HERE for posts on Staying Safe While Sheltering in Place. Click HERE for posts on  How to Stay Calm in Chaos . Click HERE for posts on Exercising in a Pandemic . Click HERE for posts on Damascus amid the War .

  Pat Young has written for the  Daytona Beach News Journal ,   South Bend Tribune ,   Flint (MI) Journal ,   Clarkston (MI) News ,   Hometown News   in Daytona Beach, Florida,   New Mexico Magazine ,   Silver City Life Magazine   and other publications. She also worked in public relations and advertising for several real estate companies in Michigan, New Mexico and Florida. She earned awards for her writing, including National Newspaper Association and Michigan Press Association awards. She earned two media awards while at the   South Bend Tribune . One of her stories in   New Mexico Magazine   (“Giant Wind Harp in Tune with Nature”) was chosen for inclusion in the SIRS Discoverer data base. She has an associate degree in liberal arts. She has written stories, articles and poetry since she was a kid, but the book she is co-authoring with Joanna Romer,   Life after Losing a Child , is her first book. When she isn’t writing, she volunteers at the Port Orange, Florida YMCA and at the Pon

  The second MSI book by Pat Young and the eleventh in our pandemic series, Exercising in a Pandemic , was released today.  See information about Pat's other book, Life after Losing a Child , HERE .