Exercise should be a walk in the park.
Look after your mental & physical health
now to enjoy a long healthy future.
Some people are already committed to exercise. Others not so much.
For many people exercising does not come naturally.
During the pandemic taking exercise was a life saver for so many people.
Countless studies have confirmed the benefits of exercise for future health. The chances of suffering serious illnesses such as heart disease and cancer are greatly reduced.
Yet many people, with good intention, try to set up an exercise regime but it comes to nothing.
As we age, and our metabolism slows, weight gain is almost a given.
So we need to take positive steps to be Fit For the Future.
For these steps to work and make a noticeable difference we have to make any exercise or nutritional plan an integral part of our lives.
And, crucially, an enjoyable part of our lives.
Say you’re 40 now - You could live to be 100, but what’s the point if what awaits is a poor quality of life with immobility and cardiovascular issues preventing anything other than sitting around?
To cover all the bases it’s important to consider cardio, resistance and flexibility training.
So it’s your choice. You can make exercise part of your life, you can moderate your diet, and take the first steps to a fitter future.
The Full Picture.
Cardio
Cardio is all about getting the heart beating faster and the lungs pumping away. When people think about exercise, cardio springs to mind. Walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming and rowing are all great forms of aerobic exercise that can easily be incorporated into your everyday life. Basically any exercise which pushes the heart rate up for more than a few minutes is improving and strengthening your cardiovascular system. Playing sports, gardening and intensive cleaning can also be aerobic.
150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous activity is recommended as a daily minimum.
There are great health benefits to be had from taking aerobic exercise. Here are a few;
It improves your cardiovascular health and reduces the risk of heart disease.
It keeps your arteries clear by raising ‘good’ HDL cholesterol levels and lowering ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol levels in your blood.
Aerobic exercise can help lower blood pressure.
It can help insomniacs improve the quality and duration of their sleep.
It burns off calories and is an important part of weight reduction (reducing calorie intake is the other).
It can strengthen the immune system and boost brain power.
Aerobic exercise can lower stress levels.
To maximise the benefits from this type of exercise there are technical aspects to consider. It is quite easy to establish your ‘training rate’ which is the rate your heart should be beating. This is influenced by your age. If you can exercise for at least 15 minutes within your training rate your cardiovascular system will become stronger.
Resistance
Not resistance to exercise or to eating too much but simply Resistance. Many people, particularly as they get older, focus on cardiovascular exercise to keep them fit and healthy.
Walking, running, cycling or swimming can all fit into our lives and we can exercise and enjoy ourselves (enjoy the scenery) and reap the benefits. Strength conditioning or Resistance work is more specific. Many people try the gym and it doesn't work out.
Repetitions and sets seem ok for a while but the novelty wears off.
But it is so important to keep our muscles strong.
From speeding up our metabolism to burning more calories and for simply helping us carry out everyday tasks more easily (getting up from a low chair) Resistance work is an essential part of keeping us fit and healthy.
Resistance work can increase testosterone levels which, in turn, can reduce the risk of suffering certain medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes or heart disease.
In the gym you can use free weights and machines and there are real advantages in doing so although you can also use your own body weight which might fit more easily into a busy schedule.
Making the most of training does need guidance to achieve the best results.
Unless you have a specific requirement (building your biceps) there is more advantage to be had from compound exercises which affect a number of different muscle groups.
The number of sets and the reps in each set and the size of the weight itself all have to be factored in to get the best results.
To complete the picture we need to look at Flexibility Training.
Flexibility
The third training system is every bit as important as Cardio and Resistance.
Flexibility is needed for all your daily activities including walking, bending and lifting. It improves mobility, posture and coordination.
Flexibility helps reduce the risk of injury and muscle soreness so it is actually a major facilitator helping you to carry out your Cardio and Resistance Programs.
Importantly flexibility decreases with age and because of that it is crucial to include flexibility exercises in your exercise regime.
Flexibility is the ability of your muscles and other connective tissues to stretch temporarily. Good flexibility enables good mobility. It is really all about stretching.
There are different kinds of stretches. Before cardio you might want to warm up with a dynamic stretch which helps get the body working. After cardio a static stretch which is held for over 15 seconds helps the muscles, tendons and ligaments ease down and reduce the chance of muscle soreness.
As you can see all three forms of training are beneficial and they also complement each other.
There’s always enough time to look after your health.
About Alan
I have been exercising all of my life from running marathons to playing Squash for Scotland. I have always been aware of the benefits of resistance exercise and do some form of strength work most days.More recently I have taught sport and exercise.I am a qualified Squash and Racketball coach. In particular I coach Racketball at Newlands Tennis and Squash Club.I am also qualified as a Level 2 Gym Instructor.I play a lot of competitive Racketball and also run quite a bit. The runs tend to be with my dog Volley (who is far too fast for me) in Rouken Glen Park and they are not always continuous. Sometimes I walk and sometimes I jog. Far better for appreciating the beautiful park.