Simple Exercise Tips

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight takes hard work and consistency. A diet rich in lean meats, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits is necessary to maintain health but exercise is the only way to transform your shape. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, cardiovascular exercise and strength training decrease body fat levels, improve the fitness of your cardiovascular system, and increase lean muscle mass. There are a few simple tips about exercise that will help your program stay fresh and put you on the path to better health and a better body.

30 Minutes of Activity

The Surgeon General's recommendation is to strive for 30 minutes of moderate-intensity-physical activity at least 5 days per week. Planned physical activity includes going for a walk, a run or participating in a fitness class at your local gym. The 30 minutes doesn't have to be completed all at once either; accumulated activity throughout the day is sufficient for health benefits.

Strength Train

Strength training increases muscle mass and improves your health by decreasing body fat percentage. Strive to perform a strength training exercise for each of your major muscle groups at least once per week. Increasing your strength training exercise to two to three times per week offers an increased benefit when compared to just once a week. Free weights, resistance tubes and fitness machines are modalities you can use to improve muscle strength.

Get Help

If the task of beginning an exercise program seems insurmountable, enlist the help of a fitness professional. Most fitness facilities have trained exercise professionals on staff to answer questions and to get you started on a path to improved health and fitness. Introductory exercise sessions are usually free and some even include assessments of body fat percentage and aerobic fitness at no additional charge.

Allow Rest

Perform strength-training exercise on alternate days and allow 48 hours of rest between muscle groups to ensure muscles have adequate rest and to prevent injury. Some individuals combine muscle groups in such a way that each group is trained at least once during the week such as; chest and triceps, back and biceps, legs, and abs all done on consecutive days. If you're new to a strength-training program, simply stick with a two to three day alternating routine of full-body strength training.

Start Slow

Increase physical activity levels over time. Going from no exercise to a full seven days of physical activity is an easy way to get burned out and injured. Start slow with one day of exercise for a couple weeks and then add an additional day each week, or every two weeks, until you're up to five days of consistent exercise. It's also okay to accumulate physical activity throughout the day in 10-minute increments. Some exercise is better than no exercise.