Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do to keep yourself fit and healthy. Staying fit reduces your risk of developing heart disease, some types of cancer, and diabetes, and increases your chances of staying healthy for longer. Participating in regular aerobic exercise, strength training and stretching exercises can help you improve or maintain your physical fitness.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise, also known as cardio, strengthens your heart and improves the efficiency of your cardiovascular system. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on five days each week. A moderate intensity is one that noticeably increases your heart rate but still allows you to carry on a conversation. Popular activities for aerobic exercise include walking, running, cycling and swimming. Increasing your aerobic exercise sessions to 60 to 90 minutes on most days of the week can provide additional benefits, including weight loss and weight maintenance.
Strength Training
Another key component of physical fitness is strength training. Regular strength training activities not only strengthen your muscles but also strengthen your bones, protect your joints and boost your metabolism, allowing you to easier control your weight. Muscle-strengthening activities include lifting weights and using resistance bands. You can also do exercises that use your body weight as resistance, including pushups, situps, pullups and leg squats. Strength training exercises are recommended for your major muscle groups at least two times each week.
Flexibility
Flexibility training, or stretching, is an often-forgotten component of physical fitness. The American Council on Exercise reports that regular stretching increases physical and mental relaxation, releases muscle tension and soreness and helps improve your posture. Always stretch your muscles when they are warm and do not bounce or hold your breath as you stretch. Even just five minutes of stretching after your aerobic exercise sessions can be beneficial but working your way up to 30 minutes of stretching a few days each week is ideal.
Considerations
Talk to your doctor before starting a new exercise program if you have been sedentary for some time or if you have a condition that affects your ability to safely exercise. After being cleared by your doctor, gradually work your way up to the recommended amount of exercise. Reducing the time you spend watching TV or using a computer may help you find more time to become more physically active. Taking the stairs instead of using an elevator, completing your errands by walking and parking at the far end of the parking lot at your destination are other ways to add more physical activity into your lifestyle.
References
- Harvard School of Public Health: The Benefits of Physical Activity
- American College of Sports Medicine; Physical Activity and Public Health Guidelines; 2007
- MayoClinic.com; Strength Training: Get Stronger, Leaner, Healthier; 2010
- American Council on Exercise: Flexible Benefits
- MedlinePlus: Physical Activity
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