Exercise
There are three things that make a significant difference in how you feel, what sicknesses you avoid, and how much you enjoy your life.They are: a positive attitude, a good diet, and enough exercise. But the question is:
What’s Enough Exercise?
Research shows that 20 minutes of exercise three times a week is enough. You’ll get benefits from as little as 10 minutes a day, but any additional time up to one hour will increase your benefits. Health returns may diminish beyond an hour.
What’s too much Exercise?
Too much exercise (more than an hour a
day) is also a problem if you are not an athlete
in supervised training. Over exercising
(also referred to as obsessive exercise
or compulsive exercise) is exercising
frequently, intensely or compulsively for
long periods of time. If you over-exercise
you may:
- Never take a break from exercise, no matter how you feel or how inconvenient it is
- Exercise when you are injured or sick Exercise to compensate for eating/overeating
- Become anxious, agitated, or angry when something interferes with your exercise
- Know others are worried about how much you exercise, but don’t listen to them or are unable to stop
Benefits of exercise
- With exercise you get:
- More strength and flexibility
- More ability to endure stress
- Better sleep
- More muscle tone, so you look better
- More control of your appetite and weight
- A valuable change of pace
- A healthier body (increases HDL (good) cholesterol; lowers blood pressure)
Tailor the exercise to you
- Experiment. See what exercise(s) and times of day fit best into your routine.
- Fun: Choose something you enjoy (or at least don’t hate) so you will DO IT.
- Functional: Work in the yard, walk a dog, or ride a bicycle to class.
- Commit to what you’ll do, and when, one week at a time. Then adjust the plan to suit your schedule and temperament
- Exercise with a friend (or two)
Choose one or more
- Bike
- Brisk walk
- Dance aerobics
- Climb stairs
- Skate
- Rollerblade
- Lift weights
- Jog
Consistency is the key. Go for gradual, steady improvement. That’s what lasts.
Stretching
Stretching is good. It’s easy and you can do it almost anywhere, anytime. It increases your range of motion and reduces stiffness and aches. Do some stretching every day, especially before and after exercising.Here are some tips:
- Stretch slowly with continuous tension on the muscle.
- Hold each stretch for a count of 10.
- Exhale as you stretch; it relaxes muscles even more.
Key effects of exercise
Aerobic conditioning: Good for your heart and lungs. Do an exercise that raises your heart rate (see list, center).
To get your heart rate: exercise for 10 minutes. Then take your pulse for 10 seconds.
Target heart rates:
- Age 20: 20-27 beats in 10 seconds
- Age 25: 20-26 beats in 10 seconds
- Age 30: 19-25 beats in 10 seconds
Muscle Strength and Flexibility: Givesyou more energy, improves your work and athletic ability, and helps you feel less tired.
To quickly improve your muscle strength, do resistance training with rubber tubing, free weights or weight training equipment.
You can also strengthen your:
- Legs, with side-leg lifts
- Abdomen, with bent knee curl-ups
- Shoulders, with push-ups
- Arms, with chin-ups