Fitness is the key to a healthy mind and body. It is based on stamina, strength and suppleness. Being fit improves your physical prowess and grace, and makes you feel better overall. Becoming fit is neither difficult nor time-consuming as some people think. You can get fit and get a better body more easily and enjoyably than you may think.
There is also no thing as “standard fitness.” It depends on your personal makeup and why you want to be fit. For exercise to be of any help, it should boost your metabolism and improve your cardiovascular (heart and circulation) and respiratory (breathing) system.
Why bother with keeping fit? Are you fed up with lacking confidence? Are you tired of running out of breath? Are you tired of being out of shape? Are you always feeling under the weather? Do you regularly suffer from colds? Do you experience bad pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS)? Do you often feel stressed out? Do you have problems with sleep? These are just some of the signs of being unfit, or of the body being unbalanced and not in a state of perfect balance and harmony. Yes, exercise is worth it, because when you are fit, recurring problems such as these, may ease or even go away completely.
Exercise is a vital part of preventative health care as you get older too. By taking regular exercise, you can prevent weight gain and keep all your organs and body systems healthy. You will also help to prevent cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, arthritis and many other health problems.
Effects of Exercise:
The heart is a muscle and needs to be exercised just like any other muscle in order to stay healthy and strong. Working the heart during exercise also maintains the health of the arteries, and ensures that blood circulates to all of the body’s organs, keeping them supplied with oxygen and nutrients. Exercise has a beneficial effect on every part of the body. It keeps the skin and hair in good condition, it makes you more energetic, it speeds up the passage of food through the digestive system, it speeds up metabolism (rate at which the body burns calories), it strengthens bones and muscles, it stabilizes blood sugar, it prevents weight gain, and if you are carrying surplus fat, it helps you to shed it. Exercise also has a positive effect on the mind and emotions. It is an excellent way to relieve stress, overcome depression and increase your self-esteem. Exercise prevents many of the physical changes that come with age!
Before taking up any form of rigorous exercise or training, you should first consult your doctor if you have diabetes, epilepsy, over 35 years of age with a long history of inactivity, cardiovascular (heart) problems, respiratory problems, chronic joint problems, back problems, obesity, pregnancy, and if you drink heavily or smoke heavily.
Making Goals and Recording Results:
Finding a goal that will inspire you is one of the secrets of success. To achieve that goal, you must have a motive that is important enough to give you a strong will, such as improving your figure for a special event (such as your wedding), buying yourself a longed-for hugging dress, or simply boosting your fitness levels generally. Set the deadline and stick to it. Depending on what you want to achieve, a three-week plan is ideal, because it is not too long and if you persevere, you will soon see results. However, be realistic in your expectations. If your goals are too high, you are more likely to fail, and if they are too low, you will not have enough of a challenge.
Goals will inspire you, but speedy results are the key to keeping up regular exercise. It is also perfectly natural that you will want to see rewards for all your hard work, although it is advisable to build up a pattern gradually. The minimum amount of exercise you need to do to improve your personal fitness is about 20 minutes for three times a week maximum. If you want to see fast results, you do need to add extra activities such as a few games of tennis, swimming or brisk walking to your exercise routine. A simple thing like touching your toes is a good way to improve flexibility in the hips and spine. Hockey is a demanding sport, but it strengthens the legs, is beneficial to the heart and lungs, and significantly improves co-ordination. In order to enjoy skiing, you will need to be reasonably fit. With skiing, you should focus on improving the strength in your legs, to take full advantage of this exciting winter sport. You can also take up your bike and go cycling with a friend. Even gardening is a great way to keep your body in good shape while enjoying the outdoors.
Key Tips for Staying Motivated:
Enthusiasm and motivation may be high at the beginning of a new exercise campaign or exercise routine. However, it typically decreases as the weeks go by. There are some helpful motivation tips for you below.
Warm-Up and Cool-Down Activities:
Warm-up activities are important because they ensure that your body is ready for exercise. These activities ease your muscles into action, so that they react more readily to activity, and they also prepare you for a rise in heart rate and body temperature. Warm-ups should be done slowly and with rhythm for 5-10 minutes (depending on age and personal fitness). It is also very important to set time aside to cool down after exercising. You just have to keep walking or moving around slowly for about 5 minutes. This cool-down period is vital, because it allows you to decrease the amount of exercise gradually. This will prevent any feelings of faintness that may be caused by the pooling of blood below the waist, which occurs in the course of vigorous exercise.
Monitoring Your Pulse Rate:
Checking your pulse rate at regular intervals is crucial, because it allows you to monitor whether you are exercising adequately. The aim of exercise is to get your heart rate into a certain range. To find out your active pulse rate per minute, you can rest your two fingers lightly on your pulse immediately after exercising. Then count the beats for 10 seconds and multiply it by 6. If you feel any pain, or feel dizzy, or experience anything other than the normal sensation of muscle fatigue while exercising, then you should stop exercising. It is advisable, to avoid exercise if you are ill, or have a virus, or have an increase in body temperature (such as a fever).
When you have finished exercising, you should check that your heart rate returns to its normal rate within 10-15 minutes. If it takes longer than that, it is advisable that you exercise at a slower pace until you become more fit. You can also ascertain whether you are exerting yourself too much. Make sure you can hold a conversation while you are exercising. If you find you are too out of breath, or fatigued to talk, then you are probably exercising too hard.
Staying Fit throughout Life:
In conjunction with a healthy diet, exercise is the best way to stay well, slow down the aging process and keep your body fit, toned, healthy and attractive. You can reap huge benefits from relatively small increases in your activity levels. For example, walking instead of driving, swimming once or twice a week, and jogging in the park about 3 times a week, will increase your overall fitness levels. You should also aim to drink at least 8 glasses of water every day to keep your body properly hydrated. This is because of the lost water due to sweat or perspiration from exercise. If you presently have health problems, remember to consult your doctor, before taking up exercise. Exercise is a wonderful investment in your current and future health!
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