Aerobic exercise raises your heart rate and burns calories. This will strengthen your heart, boost your mood, reduce health risks and help you lose weight. It is also important to incorporate strength-training to build muscle and stretching in order to stay flexible.
Aerobic Exercise
The Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults spend at least 150 minutes a week doing moderate aerobic activity such as brisk walking or swimming. If you don't have time for that, you can try 75 minutes of vigorous activity such as running. Each session should be at least 10 minutes long. These activities will also increase your strength and flexibility. Running or walking uphill will build and tone leg muscles. Swimming works all your major muscles because water is almost 800 times denser than air, according to Women's Health. This means swimming is both an aerobic exercise and a strength-training activity.
Strength Training
Lifting weights or resistance training isn't an aerobic exercise and doesn't significantly raise your heart rate, so you won't burn as many calories. But, it is an important part of every exercise program. Strength-train at least two or three times a week for 20 to 30 minutes. Doing this will help you reduce body fat and replace it with muscle tissue, which will burn more calories.
Flexibility Training
Stretching increases flexibility, gives you a wider range of motion, improves posture, relieves stress and boosts circulation. Many aerobic exercises increase your flexibility but it is important to spend time stretching after working out because many exercises make your muscles contract. Stretching reverses this.
If you don't have a regular workout routine, stretch at least three times a week to remain flexible. Do not hold your breath as you stretch. Also, don't bounce or force a stretch. If a stretch hurts, stop doing it. You should feel a gentle pull when you stretch but if it hurts, then you are stretching too far and you could damage your muscles.
Pilates
Pilates combines strength and flexibility training and improves posture by strengthening your core muscles. A Pilates routine consists of between 25 and 50 low-impact movements that work on flexibility, strength and endurance. Each workout will target you abdominals, lower back, hips and thighs. If you don't have the time or money to join a Pilates class, you can follow a Pilates video instead.
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