If you have finally decided that exercise needs to become a part of your life, I can help. Walking is natural. Since you have never done any deliberate exercise before, I would recommend just going for a 5 minute walk. You dont even have to go outside to do this. Set the kitchen timer for 5 minutes and start moving around inside your house. When the timer rings you are finished. Try to do this 3-5 times a week. If you would do this 3 times a week you would have done 15 minutes of deliberate exercise and if you did it 5 times a week that would be an accumulation of 25 minutes. You can really feel good about yourself, now. Keep the 5 minutes of walking up for a week or two and then increase it to 6 or 7 minutes. Look what that does to your weekly total!! Increasing a minute or two each workout is an easy and doable way to gradually increase your stamina and endurance. Stamina; thats a new word, what does that mean? Staying power, energy, resilience are all definitions of stamina. Endurance; we are all familiar with this word, but how does it relate to exercise. Endurance and Stamina are interchangeable. As we gain more endurance we are able to exercise longer. As our endurance increases we get stronger and have more resolve to stay the course. When you have been doing the walking program consistently and you feel you are ready to add other elements to your fitness program then you can start: Strength training; Do strength (resistance) exercises for all your major muscle groups at least twice a week, but not for the same muscle group 2 days in a row. You should gradually increase the amount of weight you use. This the most important part to strength training. The only way you get stronger is to overload the muscles. Start with a low amount of weight (or no weight) and gradually increase it as you get stronger. If you cant lift a weight more than 8 times it is too heavy; if you can lift it more than 15 times, its too light. Are you well balanced? Adding some balance exercises can help you stay independent by helping you avoid the disability often permanent that may result from falling. More often than not strength and balance exercises overlap. One good example would be heel lifts. This exercise strengthens ankle and calf muscles at the same time promoting balance. Standing straight, holding a table or chair for balance, slowly stand on tiptoe as high as possible. Hold this position for a count of four and then slowly lower heels to starting position. As you progress, hold onto the table or chair with one hand, then one finger, then no hands. If you are steady on your feet, progress to no hands with eyes closed. Not only are you strengthening your leg muscles you are challenging your balance. Dont forget to stretch. Stretching keeps you limber. Stretching alone will not improve your endurance or strength, but you should always stretch the muscles that you worked during your strength and endurance phase. Even if you are just walking, remember to stretch your calf muscles and your quadriceps (front of the thigh). If stretching exercises are the only thing you can do right now, that is better than nothing. Always start out with warm muscles. Walk a little bit to get the blood flowing to the muscles thus warming them up. Hold each stretch for 10 30 seconds and dont bounce. Move slowly into position and then just hold the stretch. Stretching might cause mild discomfort, but should never cause pain. Exercise is habit forming. Exercise is a physical activity that leads to fitness. Exercise is said to be the most highly prescribed drug there is. In all the articles and books about exercise, the same conclusion is reached; exercise is the closest thing to the Fountain of Youth that we have. Its really a shame that only about 15-18% of the population engage in regular physical exercise weekly. Exercise and choosing the right foods are the two critical components to weight control. Retard the Aging Process. Senator John Glenn said doing exercise that is appropriate for my age and physical condition has guaranteed me an active lifestyle. By exercising and eating properly I can stay healthy as I age. Combine Exercise with Nutrition! As is always noted when we talk about exercise.. the nutrition angle emerges. Dont forget to look at your diet and see how it can be improved. If you concentrate on eating as much green food as possible, you will not only improve your digestion but you will control your weight. Avoid the browns and whites when you are looking at food! One of the most important things to remember if you are concerned about your weight would be to not over-eat. Think about this: Honor your hunger but respect your fullness! |
