If you have made the important decision to start exercising or get more serious about it, kudos to you. This is a decision that can have many positive effects on your life; helping you to feel healthier, look better, and feel better. Exercising is a great way to burn off frustration and restore your centre of calm after a long day at work. Even if you have a busy schedule, exercise is time well spent.
Before we get any deeper, let’s review the health benefits of exercise. Remembering these facts can keep you going when you are labouring and sweating in the gym.
Some of the benefits of exercise include:
● Weight loss as well as maintaining a
healthy weight.
● Lowering blood pressure, cholesterol
and blood sugar levels.
● Increasing your energy.
● Reducing stress and improving your
mood.
● Maintaining bone mass.
● Improving your quality of sleep.
● Giving you a better quality of life
through improved strength, endurance,
and flexibility.
● Promoting healthy ageing.
As you probably know, there are many different types of exercise. Here is some information to help you get started on the right foot.
Cardio
Cardio, (also called aerobic exercise), is designed to get your blood pumping, build endurance, and help you lose weight/maintain a healthy weight. Types of cardio include walking, running, dancing, cycling, and swimming. Cardio is generally performed continuously for a set amount of time; studies have shown the most effective amount of time is around 30 minutes. It strengthens the heart and lungs and burns calories.
Each week, adults should try to include 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, in their exercise regimens. Even ten-minute sessions have been proven to improve health.
Strength training
Besides helping you develop stronger muscles, strength training increases your metabolism, helps you lose weight and maintain strong bones. Strength training doesn’t need to take too much time either. Although some people spend hours in the gym every day, 2 to 3 hour-long sessions a week is enough for most people.
Although many people associate strength training with the gym, there are many exercises you can do at home. There are even some exercises that require little to no equipment, like Pilates or bodyweight exercises. While many gyms offer classes for these types of exercises, you can easily purchase videos and follow along at home. The internet is a great resource as well.
Flexibility
Stretching is an important component to exercise that tends to be overlooked. However, it is important for many reasons. Stretching improves and maintains your range of motion; this is significant because strength training and aerobic exercise cause your muscles to tighten up. While it is no longer recommended to stretch before a workout, stretching after a workout will help maintain flexibility. Stretching will keep you flexible and agile as you age. As a bonus, it also boosts circulation and can promote better posture and relieve stress.
Nutrition and rest
With all this being said, it is important for us to remember that we need to take a holistic approach to our health. There is no cure-all in living a healthy life, but there are several healthy practices that are connected and affect each other. Beginning an exercise regimen is a big step, but there are other pieces to the puzzle.
Diet is very important. Besides being a major part of the weight loss process, the nutrition you receive from a balanced diet will give you the energy and strength you need for a successful workout. A proper diet will also help you feel and perform your best, every day.
Rest is another issue that is often overlooked. It sounds simple, but some of us get so focused on exercising that we forget to let our bodies recover. We need to remember to schedule a day or two for rest in our exercise schedules. It gives your body a chance to repair itself and build muscle.
It’s also good to remember that household chores, yard work, home repairs, cleaning, or playing with pets or children count as exercise too. Remember, starting anything new is difficult at first, but it will get easier, and your improvements will continue to motivate you.
