Get-Active and Fit
Getting active helps keep your bones, joints and muscles in good condition .It can also boost your metabolism, counter stress and help fight depression. To maintain good health, get the three types of exercise described here. Exercise regularly. Aim for half an hour of aerobic exercise, whether you do it all at once or in five- to ten-minutes sessions throughout the day , for three to five days a week. If you no longer exercise , try to determine why you have become inactive and choose a new program of exercise that more closely meets your needs and preferences. Consider all your personal circumstances: your ability , whether you enjoy competition , whether you prefer to be alone or in a group , at home or away , indoors or outside. If motivation is a problem , consider consulting a professional trainer , who can tailor exercise to your needs and help you achieve your goal.
Aerobic Exercise
This type of exercise works large groups pf muscles. If it is sufficiently intense, it raises your heart rate enough to build cardiovascular fitness. Examples include walking fast enough to make you warm , running , swimming and playing tennis .Aerobic exercise also raises the blood levels of natural , hormone-like chemicals called endorphins, inducing a feeling of wellbeing ; it speeds up circulation ,helping keep he arteries , veins and heart healthy ; and it raises the body’s metabolic rate (the rate at which cells burn energy), which helps prevents you from putting on weight control and lifts spirits.
Exercise that raises the heart rate to 55-75 per cent of your maximum rate (approximately 220 minus your age) is classified as moderate intensity exercise provides all the health benefits they need .High-intensity exercise is mainly for serious athletes and those who wish to achieve above –average levels of fitness. It should not be attempted by those who are new to exercise.
Check your pulse periodically during exercise sessions .Unless you’re more advanced, don’t let pulse, rise above the moderate- intensity limit for age (see diagram A) If you have trouble taking your pulse , use this rule thumb for gentler forms of exercise , such as walking : if you can talk while exercise , you’re not overdoing it; if you can sing, you may need exert more effort.
Diagram AYOUR TARGET HEART RATE When starting exercise, aim to keep your pulse at the lower end of the moderate-intensity range, indicated below . Build up to a higher level gradually.(These figures are based on average maximum heart rates; they may vary.)
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Strength Training
This type of exercise involves working individual muscles or muscle groups. Strength training can be done with or without weights or other loads. Examples include carrying around an infant, lifting weights in a gym, and any repeated muscle work , such as cycling (which also provides aerobic exercise). Strengtheing muscle can prevent back pain , increase bone density, encourage weight loss, foster agility and balance, and lessen the risk of muscle injury.
StretchingThis type of exercise lengthens muscles to their full natural extent, promoting flexibility. Whether you stretch before aerobic exercise or strength training , or perform yoga or another activity that limbers the muscles and joints, you will be helping to prepare muscles for activity , prevent and relieve muscle stiffness after exercise , reduce the risk of muscle injury , and prevent or ease back pain and repetitive strain injury.
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