Fitness & Health
Are you looking at your body in the mirror and thinking, “Gee, I really miss the golden days?” You know that you are out of shape, but you really don’t know where to start. No need to worry! Starting this month, our HealthChek™ exercise & fitness specialists will answer your questions and provide some simple workout routines to help those of us who have lost their way in the world of exercise and fitness. Some of this info will also be summarized in the coming issues of Good Health News, our monthly e-newsletter. It’s hard to maintain an exercise and fitness regimen and it is normal to ask yourself, should I even begin?
The answer is YES. Start slowly, follow the guidelines below and go for it. You must begin your fitness regimen if you want to continue to look young, healthy and sexy as you age.
There are several types of exercise. All of them are important, but I will only touch on 2 types below to start your fitness regimen: Aerobic exercises and strength training.
Some days, it will be hard to force yourself to keep up with your fitness regimen, but always remember, “you can’t get steel without putting iron through fire.”
Finding the perfect balance between diet and exercise is a crucial element of preventive health. We are all unique and HealthChek™ will help guide you to the combination that’s right for you, with great tips and tools you can personalize.
Q: How much exercise should an adult get each week? ***
A: Exercise needs to be a life style not a FAD!!! We suggest you start with 15-20 minutes, 2-3 days per week. As your body gets conditioned, let’s pick up a another day until you reach the suggested amount of 5 days per week.
Q: What type of exercise should an Adult get each week? ***
A: Here are some general rules from our Fitness Instructors: The average adult needs 2 types of regular exercise in order to keep the body healthy:
Aerobic Exercise and Strength Training.
1. Aerobic Exercise
This type of exercise helps to open up your lungs and carries oxygen to every part of your body. Remember, oxygen speeds the healing of everything in your body. Our trainer suggests starting with at least 20 minutes of age appropriate, moderate aerobic exercise each day. Now that’s only 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the late afternoon/evening. Now that you know the numbers, let’s keep it real if you are just getting started and let’s keep it simple.
Moderate aerobic exercise includes activitities such as:
- Brisk walking: If it is too hot outdoors, try walking in a large mall with a friend. Purchase a Fitbit or similar device that will could your steps. You should aim for 10,000+ steps per day.
- Swimming: Swimming is another good moderate aerobic exercise. Even walking back and forth in the shallow end of the pool is great exercise.
- Mowing the lawn: Start slowly and work at your own pace.
- Elliptical: Start slowly and work at your own pace.
Biking: Start slowly in a safe place. Bike with a friend. - Dancing: Start at your own pace with music that you like.
2. Strength Training: This type of exercise strengthens the main body parts which are often called “the core muscles.” The core muscles include the muscles of the neck, back, the arms, thighs and legs. I recommend strength training with bands, weights and other equipment at least twice a week.
***CAUTION: Always check with your doctor before starting a new exercise regime. Always start slowly and build up to avoid muscle injury. I recommend using exercise bands before weights. Lee Haney, WorldChampion Body Builder, reminds us that “Exercise is meant to stimulate, not to annihilate. The world wasn’t formed in a day and neither were we. Set small goals and build upon them.”