3 Part Plan for Your Physical Fitness
Exercise for Aerobic Fitness:
This helps improve the function and
efficiency of your heart, lungs, and blood vessels. Start out with short
workouts, and then gradually progress to 20 or 30 minutes three to five times a
week. Try a variety of activities such as walking, jogging, swimming and
biking.Exercise for Muscle Strength and Endurance:
Using
resistance builds muscle tone and strength, helps improve posture, and makes
muscles and bones more resistant to injury. Keep your movements slow and
controlled, and train only every other day or twice a week. Push-ups,
sit-ups, or moderate weight lifting, builds strength and muscle endurance.
Exercise for Flexibility:
Proper stretching every day reduces
the chance of muscle strain and injury. Move body joints through a full
range of motion, gently and slowly stretching each muscle group. Hold each
stretch until you feel a slight pulling sensation, but not pain. Breathe
comfortably, holding the stretch for 15 to 20 seconds. Repeat several
times.
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Common
Cardio Mistakes to Avoid |
Treadmill
– The treadmill is the most popular
cardio workout machine in the gym. Common mistake people do on treadmill is
they go too much up and downs or too fast. These mistakes will wear out the
person’s ankle and knee joints over time. The correct method is to take long,
smooth and purposeful strides during the exercise. Another mistake is looking
down, this could make you trip and fall and injure yourself, try to look at eye
level or keep your eyes on the display.
Stair climber Almost
everyone when exercising on this machine
will rest their arms on the railing. By doing so, the railing now becomes sort
of like a crutch as it will now support some of your body weight making the
exercise less intensive.
Stationery Bike
– When exercising on the stationery bike, do adjust the height of the seat to a
comfortable level. When the seat is too low, it adds strain to your knees and
spine. When too high, your body will rock from side to side. So adjust your seat
to a comfortable level in order to get the best out of your workout and to avoid
injury.
Elliptical
Trainer
– The purpose of this machine is to tone your body and to exercise for your
cardiovascular fitness. People often go too fast which means the resistance
is on very low or vise versa. Either ways, if you are not breaking out in sweat
you are not getting the kind of cardio workout you are suppose to get.
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It can be very hard to get into the
ZEN and sereni ty mode
when there are kids running around the house - Let me tell you what I do to
relax,
Be in a quiet, comfortable place
- sit up straight on a cushion and relax.
Close your eyes and take a deep
breath.
Concentrate on your breathing -
breath in slow and deep. Fill your lungs with air and exhale.
Choose your own words, such as
“peace”, “I am a happy person”, repeat mentally.
Try to meditate on an empty
stomach. Full stomach will put you to sleep. |
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My 30 minute workout
Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays - Do a 30 minute non-stop fat-burning aerobic workout.
Tuesdays and Thursdays -
Spend 30 minutes toning and firming up with a variety of weight training, yoga,
and pilates. Don't forget to stretch.
Saturdays are play days
- Do at least 30 minutes of biking, basketball (my personal favorite), tennis or
swimming.
Sundays are free days -
Take the day off. Be creative and do something fun. Try a new sport.
Stretching plays a vital role in keeping muscle s
and joints strong and pliable so they are less susceptible to injury.
That's why it's such an important part of warming up before physical activity
and cooling down after.
Always warm up first: warm muscles, tendons, and
ligaments are more flexible and stretch more easily; Stretching "cold"
muscles can cause tears.
Stretch should always be gradual and gentle.
Hold each stretch in a static position for 10 to 20 seconds, allowing the muscle
to lengthen slowly.
Do not bounce; bouncing actually causes muscle
fibers to shorten not lengthen.
Stretch only to the point of resistance;
if the stretch hurts, you're pushing too hard.
Don't rush through the
stretching routine; use it to prepare yourself mentally and physically for
activity.
For most of us, it takes a specific sequence of events to
change eating patterns and develop fitness habits that will last a lifetime. Here's how you can make it happen
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Decide to improve your health.
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Find out your physical status; get advice from health and
fitness professionals. If you have health concerns, get your doctor's
OK before you increase your activity level.
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Select a fitness program that's right for you, taking
into account your age, physical condition, and lifestyle.
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Take a fitness test to find out how fit you are now.
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Participate in physical activities that you enjoy.
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Undergo periodic fitness testing to gauge your progress.
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Modify your activities often so that your workout remains
challenging.
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