Fitness and Relaxation

"If exercise could be packed into a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed, and beneficial, medicine in the nation."

Robert Butler, M.D.

Staying fit and relaxed is not only good for your health, it is good for you. If you want to enjoy life more, the tips in this chapter can help.

The Benefits of Exercise

No amount of exercise can guarantee a long life. However, even moderate amounts of exercise can improve the likelihood of a healthy life. Along with a positive attitude and a healthy diet, your fitness level plays a major role in how well you feel, what illnesses you avoid, and how much you enjoy life. 

Consider the benefits of fitness presented here and find one or more reasons to commit to your own fitness program.

No one can prescribe the perfect fitness plan for you. You have to figure it out based on what you enjoy doing and what you will continue to do. 

Consistency is the most important, the most basic, and the most often neglected part of fitness. Consistency in regular exercise or moderate activity delivers all of the fitness benefits. 

A good fitness plan has three parts: aerobic fitness, muscle strengthening, and flexibility. Read the section on each part. Then see "Setting Your Fitness Goals."

Aerobic Fitness

Aerobic conditioning strengthens your heart and lungs. Good aerobic exercises include brisk walking, running, stair climbing, biking, swimming, aerobic dance, or anything else that raises your heart rate and keeps it up for a while. 

How Hard Should I Exercise? 
Nice and easy does it. Exercise does not have to be intense to be of value. In fact, if you exercise too hard, you get less benefit than if you go at a moderate pace. 

Above all, listen to your body. If the exercise feels too hard, slow down. You will reduce your risk of injury and enjoy the exercise much more. 

Try the "talk-sing test" to determine your ideal exercise pace: 

             *If you can't talk and exercise at the same time, you are going too fast. 

             *If you can talk while you exercise, you are doing fine. 

             *If you can sing while you exercise, it would be safe to exercise a little faster. 

Your exercise is most effective when you can talk, but not sing, while doing it.

Target Heart Rate

Another way to see how hard you are exercising is to check your heart rate. You gain the most aerobic benefits when your exercise heart rate is 60 percent to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate. After exercising for about 10 minutes, stop and take your pulse for 10 seconds. Compare the number to the chart at right. Adjust the intensity of your exercise so that your heart rate stays between the two numbers. However, the target heart rate is only a guide. Each individual is different, so pay attention to how you feel. 

How Often and How Long Should I Exercise?

Most studies show that exercising for 20 minutes three times a week is enough to improve fitness. How-ever, sometimes it's easier to make exercise a habit if you do it every day. 

With aerobic exercise, harder is not better, but longer is. Although you can get good fitness benefits from as little as 10 minutes of aerobic exercise per day, extending your exercise time will increase your rewards. This is true for up to one hour of exercise per day. Beyond that, there may be diminishing health returns and increasing risk of injuries. 

Warm Up and Cool Down

For the first five minutes of your exercise routine, start out slowly and easily so your muscles have a chance to warm up. 

End your exercise with a little cool-down period. Gradually slow your pace, then do a few light stretches to improve flexibility. 

Drink some extra water before and after exercising.

Muscle Strengthening

Strengthening your muscles improves your work and athletic performance and prevents fatigue. Muscle-strengthening exercises will also improve your posture and help you feel more energetic. 

Resistance training, with free weights, weight-training equipment, or inexpensive rubber tubing, can quickly increase your muscle strength. 

Other simple, safe, and effective strengthening exercises include bent-knee curl-ups, chin-ups, push-ups, side leg-lifts, and other calisthenics to improve abdominal, neck, arm, shoulder, and leg strength. 

Flexibility

Stretching can increase your range of motion and reduce stiffness and pain. Stretching is particularly important during the cool-down phase when your muscles are warm. See stretches. 

     *Stretch slowly and gradually. Don't bounce. Maintain a continuous tension on the muscle. 

     *Relax and hold each stretch for a count of 10. 

     *Exhale as you stretch, to further relax your muscles. If stretching hurts, you have gone too far or you are doing something incorrectly. 

Try to stretch a little every day. Take a stretch break instead of a coffee break.
                                  Stretch

Hamstring stretch

                                                         
                    Hip flexor stretch
Stretching exercises
 
Overcome Barriers to Exercise
There are six barriers to exercise that are all easy to overcome. 

• No time? Try shorter periods of activity spread throughout the day, such as three 10-minute walks. 
• Too tired? It's often lack of exercise that makes you tired. Exercise gives you energy. Try it. 
• Embarrassed? Many people are, especially at first. Be proud that you're taking care of your body. 
• No partner? Yes, it's more fun to exercise with a friend. If your regular exercise partner quits, find another one. 
• Bad weather? Too hot, too cold, too wet, too windy--it never seems right for exercise. Lots of people exercise come rain or shine. Try a variety of indoor and outdoor activities. 

Too costly? You had to let the fitness club membership expire. You can't afford a mountain bike. You panic at the price of running shoes. It all costs money. But can you afford not to exercise? Try a low-cost option, such as walking instead of driving.

Exercise Caution Moderate exercise is safe for most people. To be safe, start slowly and gradually increase the intensity of your exercise. However, if you can answer yes to any of the following questions, talk with your doctor before beginning an exercise program. Do you have heart trouble? Do you have undiagnosed chest pains? Do you have high blood pressure? Do you often feel faint or dizzy? Do you have arthritis or other bone or joint problems that might be aggravated by improper exercise? Do you have diabetes? You may want to talk with your doctor about how increased exercise affects your insulin needs. Men over age 40 who have been inactive or who have two or more risk factors for heart disease* and who plan to start a vigorous exercise program (running or fast bicycling or swimming) may wish to talk with their doctors about any possible risks. *Cholesterol over 200, blood pressure over 140/90, smoking, diabetes, or family history of heart disease before age 45.

Setting Your Fitness Goals

Are you as strong, flexible, and physically fit as you would like to be? If you are, good for you. We hope this chapter has helped you reaffirm the exercises you are already doing. However, if you want to make some improvements, here's one piece of advice: Try to improve a little bit at a time.

The only way to walk a mile is to take one step at a time. The only way to improve your fitness level is to take it one step at a time. 

• Pick one aspect of fitness (aerobic, strength, flexibility) you want to improve first.

• Pick an activity that you enjoy. You're more likely to keep doing something you like.

• Set a one-month goal that you think you can reach. For example, plan to walk for 10 minutes at lunch three days a week, or stretch for five minutes each morning.

• Start today. Keep a record of what you do.

• When you reach your first goal, reward yourself! Then set a new one.

Consistency brings success. Each success may be a small one, but small successes can quickly add up to physical fitness that will make a big difference in your life.