Exercise Need Not be Hard Work
We know that proper nutrition and exercise can make a huge difference to how our body ages. Bad habits, such as smoking and excessive consumption of both sugar and alcohol may not show effects for years and years, but very few people ever get away without repercussions. Cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis are three debilitating diseases that diet and exercise can have an extraordinary effect upon.
Studies have shown that living a sedentary lifestyle actually represents a higher risk for heart disease than high cholesterol and even smoking! So, no matter what your age, whether you’re closing in on 40, racing past 50 or 60, or older, you will significantly improve your health and mood by exercising regularly. You’ll feel better and have much more energy than you did before. Tests in nursing homes, involving residents in their 80s and 90s showed that they became stronger and more independent through a program of exercise.
Some of us are better than others at sticking to our exercise plans, but the benefits of regular physical activity are almost too numerous to list here. Regular exercise will keep excess weight off, put calcium in your bones and keep them healthy, keep your cholesterol down, make your metabolism more efficient, and help clean your body of toxins through sweating and regular bowel movement.
Even better, regular exercise strengthens your heart, lowers your cholesterol, lowers your stress levels, and helps you to sleep better. When you’re in good physical shape, your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and even some kinds of cancer lower dramatically. It also has been shown to help reduce depression.
And you don’t have to become a marathon runner or torture yourself through an Arnold Schwarzenegger-style bodybuilding program in order to enjoy the benefits – just 30 minutes of moderate physical activity several times a week will do the trick. Just do something – anything to get started, even taking short walks every day.
If you’ve never exercised regularly, or have been sedentary for quite a while, you should have a routine medical checkup before starting any new program (just to be on the safe side!). Once you’ve gotten your doctor’s okay – take it slow to begin with! Slow and steady wins the race, as the old saying goes.
It’s much more effective to start a measured program that you’ll actually stay with for the long term, rather than racing out of the gate and burning yourself out after a week. Taking the stairs instead of using the elevator, mowing the lawn, even chores around the house, can easily add up to 30 minutes over the course of a day.
Before starting your activity, if it’s going to be anything more strenuous than walking, it’s a good idea to spend between 5 and 15 minutes stretching. This gives you more flexibility and ease of movement, and decreases your risk of straining your muscles or otherwise injuring yourself. A similar period of stretching after your exercise is useful for cooling yourself down and relaxing.
It’s best to vary your exercise routine. Not only is this more beneficial to your health, you’ll be much less likely to injure yourself or get bored. You should be working hard enough that it’s difficult to carry on a normal conversation at the same time, but you shouldn’t be working so hard that you’re gasping for every breath. Also try to find something that you enjoy doing.
Obviously, that will make you that much more likely to continue doing it.
Try to mix these three types of exercise: aerobic, strength, and flexibility. Aerobic exercise helps to strengthen your heart, increases your lung capacity, and improves your blood circulation. Strength conditioning helps make you stronger and increases your metabolism and bone density. Flexibility exercises, besides helping you to move more easily (obviously!), keep your joints in good shape and make it less likely that they will be stiff and painful as you get older.
One way to do this is to join your local health club. Then you’ll have access to a wide range of stationary bicycles, stair- steppers, and other aerobic machines. Plus, there are usually qualified trainers on staff who can help you design a personal program that’s safe and appropriate for you. But you can also plan a very effective exercise program at home. Comfortable clothes and a decent pair of trainers are all you really need to get started.
The better condition you are in, the more efficient your body will be at burning fat. So, while you still want to keep healthy dietary habits, if you need to lose weight it will be far more effective if you exercise regularly.