About Exercise
Exercising and Health for Better Living

Archive for September, 2008...

Filed under Walking As Exercise

Daily exercise is needed to keep the body healthy and functioning properly every day. There are many types of exercise for different people with various exercise goals. For example, if a person wants to increase spinal cord flexibility, he or she might want to try yoga or gymnastics or maybe a few martial arts. It depends also on the person’s interests. Maybe a group exercise is best for the social butterfly. They might want to go with aerobic classes or try out team sports.

However, there has been some debate as to what is the best form of exercise. Exercise newbie’s most especially want to really make the most of what they are getting into. Is there an exercise that can target all body groups that can also be fun at the same time? Actually, there is!

Here are the following reasons why walking is the best form of exercise:

1. Walking is cheap.

You do not need any special equipment to try out walking. Just don on comfortable clothing and footwear for your walking drill, and you are ready to go! Of course comfortable footwear means shoes that are made for walking. Do not use slippers or heels. Rubber shoes are the best. They protect your feet while cushioning it from stress at the same time.

You do not need special, made-to-order exercise wear for walking in the park. Just as long as you are comfortable (you will be sweating a lot!), any kind of clothing is best!

Some have even taken to wearing the bikini while doing some rounds on the beach. In this case, wearing rubber shoes may not be the most comfortable thing. They run barefooted as sand is enough cushioning for the foot. Just be careful of hidden rocks or animals beneath the sand that may hurt your feet.

Seriously, walking is cheap. You do not need to spend a penny just to walk.

2. Walking is easy.

You do not need special classes to "learn" walking. Everyone knows how to walk! With the exception of newborn babies and people with certain disabilities of course. But most would agree that walking is a no-brainer.

There are certain walking groups, but that does not mean they are also walking classes. Walking groups are perfect for those who want to have company while doing their rounds. Company, after all, makes walking all the more easier and faster to do. Also, friends are something to look forward to. So they add extra motivation to your daily walking routine.

3. Walking works all parts of the body.

If you are looking for a really efficient and effective exercise, try walking! With walking, all parts of your body are worked. You swing your arms and your legs. Your heart pumps blood full time to all parts of your body. Your lungs take in fresh air. (This is of course saying that you walk in population-free areas. You do not want to get lung cancer because of your daily walk, do you?) After your, let us say thirty-minute walk, your body works up buckets of sweat already. All your muscle groups are used also!

4. Walking is fun!

If you are looking for a fun exercise, walking is one of them! You enjoy the sights of your location, you bond with a friend or more, and you know you are doing your body good.

Comments (0) Posted by admin on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008

Filed under Exercise Tips for Women

Planning an exercise program to optimize women’s health and wellness can be both confusing and difficult to do. These are a few tips and a guideline to plan your exercise program. To see the greatest results you need to eat properly, cut down your calories and fat intake in conjunction with adding an exercise program.

When you are planning your exercise program each workout should include:

Warm-up: A warm-up is five to ten minutes of stretching and light exercise to increase your body’s temperature, circulation and heart rate to prepare your body for exercise.

Exercise: Your exercise plan should include: walking, jogging, running, cycling, inline skating, or an exercise of your choice to get your heart pumping. You need to exercise at least twenty to thirty minutes.

Cool Down: To help prevent post-exercise problems your cool down should consist of five to ten minutes of stretching.

Burning Fat: Burning fat during exercise is relatively easy. To burn fat you must exercise at a lower intensity than you would exercise for cardiovascular fitness and you need to exercise for a longer period of time. During the first few minutes of exercise your body uses easily accessible carbohydrates as its energy source. After a few minutes of exercise the body’s readily available energy source is used up and your body will begin to use stored fat calories as its source.

Cardiovascular Fitness: To achieve cardiovascular fitness you need to approach your exercise routine a little differently. If your goal is to strengthen the cardiovascular system you need to do aerobic exercise.

Aerobic exercise is not just an aerobic class at the gym but it is an activity that requires large amounts of oxygen for a prolonged period of time. This will increase the demand on the heart to pump blood to the muscles, and the lunges to oxygenate the blood. Therefore creating a stronger heart, lungs and muscles.
So whether your goal is to burn fat, become fit, and work towards good health and wellness, you need to tailor your exercise to you goal.

Comments (0) Posted by admin on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008

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