Fitness Basics

Although exercising regularly will make you look better, the health benefits it offers is far more important..

 

.. Exercising regularly reduces blood cholesterol and blood pressure, helps you lose weight, give you stronger bones, better cardiovascular health, reduced risk of cancer and diabetes, better functioning metabolism, make you feel better psychologically, improve your confidence, helps you sleep better, give you a better thinking brain and more.

What type of Exercise?

• Cardiovascular exercise- walking, swimming, running, cycling is great for burning calories and reducing body fat.

• Weight training can be great for both men and women.. Most women think they will get all muscly after lifting weights, well if it was that easy 🙂 Weight lifting will help you burn fat, tone up and be healthy. You just need to work with light weights and more repetitions if you don’t want to get bulky at all.

• You need to take stretching seriously and never think of it as a waste of time, simply to avoid soreness, potential injuries while exercising, boost circulation and increase flexibility.

• Start with half an hour of cardio 3 days per week and 2 days of 45 minutes of resistance training- weight lifting. Finish it off with ab work out and stretching. Take 2 days off per week to get better results and rest properly.

• Health Department recommends an average adult gets at least 2.5 hours a week of normal aerobic activity or 1- 1.5 hrs of vigorous activity or a combination of both.

• Yoga is my favorite type of exercise. It has been practiced for more than 5000 years and is usually composed of meditation, mantras, breathing techniques- pranayama and physical exercises- asanas. It offers flexibility, strength, better posture, mind clarity, focus and overall better physical and mental health. It is great for your body and your spirit.

• Swimming is also another great way to get fit as it uses all the main muscle groups- abs, legs, shoulders, back and hips with a lot more resistance than air- you will spend more effort, burn more calories and get better results in water.

Fitness Basics / Tips:

• Never forget to warm up before the exercise and cool down after the exercise.

• Drink plenty of water during the day, especially before and after the exercise.

• Get a gym buddy or someone to walk or run with to help you stay motivated to exercise regularly.

• Walk to and back from work, take the stairs instead of the lift as much as you can and go for walks during your lunch breaks. You will be burning some calories.

• Change the way you work out every week- increase the weight you lift gradually, start heavier and continue lighter and/ or start lighter and go heavier, try different machines / exercises each time.

 

• Do not forget to rest after the work out for about 24 hours, go to gym 2 days then take 1 day off, when you become more of an expert do 3 days 1 day off. Your muscles need to recover after the work out, and during resting you’ll have better opportunity for better muscles.

• Try and work on one body part evert time you are at the gym, maximum of two body parts. Finish your work out with abs.

• If you haven’t done any type of exercise for a while, start slowly and build on it gradually. Pushing it too hard may do you more harm than good. Everything should be in moderation.

• If you are a smoker, cut back on the number of cigarettes you smoke per day and even better, quit! Then you will be able to exercise better and more, be fitter and healthier.

• Older adults and those with chronic health problems should consult their doctors before starting any form of exercise, to avoid risks.

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