All through your life you hear about the importance of exercise but you may not realize how important exercise really is until you have a health related problem that requires you to get more exercise or if you have met someone who wants you to exercise with them.
With everything that goes on during our busy schedules, the weeks seem to fly by and we are getting less and less exercise. Exercise is important not only to keep your physically healthy but to give your body an outlet for mental stress as well. Physically doing something allows your brain to relax and not to ‘think’ too much!
If it has been sometime since you have done any type of physical exercise, be sure to visit with your doctor and have a physical exam before doing anything strenuous. Your doctor can tell you the best methods of exercise for your needs and what you are limited in doing. If you are in the best of health here are a few tips on adding exercise to your life:
When you are starting out in a fitness program or if you are joining a sport to get a little exercise, avoid a competitive position while you are still in the basic training. As you get back to a level of fitness that is required for any type of competitive position you are better able to enjoy the sport entirely instead of ‘burning out’ because you are not fit enough to be at that competitive level.
For those of you who have been out of a regular exercise program for some time, you most likely are going to want to limit your activities in a sport such as basketball, football or such because of the high risk of injury. As you train more, and as your body strengthens more, you can then go back and join the more intense sports that you enjoy.
What are some of the best exercises you can do when you have not been exercising in a long time? Walking, light jogging, and bicycling are some of the best ways to get back into shape. As you exercise more, you can start running, hiking, weight training and aerobic exercises for some of the best results.
No matter what type of exercise you are going to be doing, five to ten minutes of stretching is going to do your body a world of good. Stretching out those muscles that you have not been using and relaxing your body before exercising is important.
As you are just starting out in any exercise program, spend just a few minutes a day doing it. It is impossible and dangerous to spend an hour doing aerobic or swimming on the first day of your exercise routine. Start with just a few minutes – five to ten at the most, and then work up daily as you feel stronger and as your physician permits you to.
Learn to listen to your body. If you are feeling really bad after the first few days of exercise, or perhaps you have done too much all at one time, take the next day off. Listen to your body and how your body is feeling when exercising. Sometimes your body could just be saying it is sore from working out or from walking that extra mile, but other times your body could be sore from doing too much in the heat or the extreme cold.
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