Why should I exercise?
Regular exercise has many benefits. Exercise, especially aerobic
exercise, can:
- Improve your circulation and help the body use oxygen
better
- Build energy levels so you can do more activities without
becoming tired or short of breath
- Strengthen your heart and cardiovascular system
- Increase endurance
- Lower blood pressure
- Improve muscle tone and strength; improve balance and joint
flexibility
- Strengthen bones
- Help reduce body fat and help you reach a healthy weight
- Help reduce stress, tension, anxiety, and depression
- Boost self-image and self-esteem; make you look fit and feel
healthy
- Improve sleep
- Make you feel more relaxed and rested
Talk to your health care provider first
Always check with your health care provider first before
starting an exercise program. Your health care provider can
help you find a program that matches your level of fitness and
physical condition. Here are some questions to ask:
- How much exercise can I do each day?
- How often can I exercise each week?
- What type of exercise should I do?
- What type of activities should I avoid?
- Should I take my medication(s) at a certain time around my
exercise schedule?
What type of exercise is best?
Exercise can be
divided into three basic types:
1. Stretching: Slow lengthening of the muscles.
Stretching the arms and legs before and after exercising helps
prepare the muscles for activity and helps prevent injury and
muscle strain. Regular stretching also increases your range of
motion and flexibility.
2. Cardiovascular or aerobic: Steady physical activity
using large muscle groups. This type of exercise strengthens the
heart and lungs and improves the body's ability to use oxygen. Over
time, aerobic exercise can help decrease your heart rate and blood
pressure and improve your breathing (since your heart won't have to
work as hard during exercise).
Aerobic exercises include: walking, jogging, jumping rope,
bicycling (stationary or outdoor), cross-country skiing, skating,
rowing, and low-impact aerobics or water aerobics.
3. Strengthening: Repeated muscle contractions
(tightening) until the muscle becomes tired.
How often should I exercise?
The frequency of an
exercise program is how often you exercise. In general, to achieve
maximum benefits, you should gradually work up to an exercise
session lasting 20 to 30 minutes, at least three to four times a
week. Exercising every other day will help you keep a regular
exercise schedule.
What should I include in my program?
Every exercise
session should include a warm-up, a conditioning phase, and a cool
down.