Exercise Information |
Warning! Lack Of Exercise Could Be Harmful To Your Health
You know it's bad when the Surgeon General issues a warning that lack of exercise is hazardous to your health. And that was back in '96. Since then, the stats haven't improved much, either: 25% of the American population is still sedentary and 60% do not exercise regularly (Reference: http://www.cdc.gov). For fitness minded folks, we could do worse than to follow the "hour-a-day" prescription outlined by the Surgeon General's Healthy People Report. It's just a guideline, of course and, as you already know, any amount of activity packed into your busy schedule is going to earn you healthy rewards. But there are plenty of other reasons to exercise. "If people exercised only moderately," says Janet Kneiss, Physical Therapist, "there would be far less incidence of injury. The 15 or so people I see daily, who come in with back and neck problems, usually don't want to exercise, they want a quick fix." The solution as she sees it? "I think, if people could just reframe the idea of it [exercise] being so much work and focus more on the enjoyment of doing it,they would find the experience more positive." So, if exercise alone can keep you injury and disease free, how do you keep it from being just another thing "to-do?" Here are a couple ideas: Do something you enjoy: This sounds incredibly simple, but it's worth mentioning. As we've already said, most seasoned fitness fanatics as well as neophytes will be the first to tell you: if you do something you enjoy, you will stick to it. What do you like to do? Walk? Run? Spin the treadmill while watching the tube? Or how about branching out and trying something unique and different like kick-boxing or martial arts? It's a great idea to add variety; it will keep your exercise fresh and interesting. Mix it up! Speaking of variety, you can also mix up your routine. For example: try splitting up your exercise sessions. If you take a half-hour walk in the morning, take a half-hour to stretch or resistance train in the afternoon. Just adding a bit of variety could spice things up and keep you motivated. Make an appointment with yourself. Make the commitment to exercise by making an appointment with yourself. Write it on your calendar. If you've never exercised before, start slow [10-15 minutes] then build up. Begin exercising three times a week, then slowly build up your time and your frequency. If you love to exercise, try listening to your bio-rhythms. If you can, schedule exercise during peak energy periods. Strive for your personal best. A friend e-mailed to tell me he was gearing up for another 5K relay race. I wasn't surprised. When he was 50, never having run before and not having "runners genetics" as he puts it, he decided at 15 pounds overweight and asthmatic, he was going to run. He made up his mind. For a year he trained, dropped the weight and signed up. His first goal was simply to finish. Did he do it: you bet. Did he work through an asthma attack to get across the finish line? He did, but he kept going. Now, he continues to train and improve his time with each race. His secret, he tells me: enjoy the journey, live in the moment, and focus on your personal best. "So, Laura, what's the take home message?" you ask. Never mind what everyone else is doing. Stay focused on you, doing what you enjoy and what is fun and exciting for you. Learn everything you can about health and fitness. Then, do the best you can. In so doing, you will be an inspiration for others. To summarize: A quote from one of my favorite inspirational writers Dr. Wayne Dyer, who says: "I don't want to be better than anybody, I just want to be better than I was yesterday." About The Author Laura Turner, Certified Personal Trainer has developed a series of health, fitness, and nutrition tips available at ===> http://www.1brand-new-body.com In 21 days you can create healthy new you,let her show you how! Get her free report: 7 Steps to a High Performance Body by sending a blank email to: ===> mailto:hiperformbody@getresponse.com
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
How To Overcome Workout Plateaus Humans are habitual. They strive on routine and rituals. Stretching Exercises Stretching exercises are important before you begin your workout. Always remember to stretch before and after your workout. Get Your Exercise - Without Actually Exercising With a few minor adjustments it is possible to get the exercise that is suggested and not go out of your way or spend money at the gym!When you think about exercising, have you ever wondered how you can fit it into your already busy day? That is what always crosses my mind?where do I work it in? Even a 30 minutes a few times a week sounds like a lot of time to spare when dinner needs to be cooked and the house needs to be cleaned, not to mention the errands to run and the mandatory work functions to attend.One of my coworkers, due to advice from her doctor, began to work her recommended dose of exercise into her daily routine successfully by making small shifts to her daily life. Exercising for life - The magic is in the synergy! Synergy: the working together of two or more things, people,or organizations, especially when the result is greater thanthe sum of their individual effects or capabilitiesMomentum toward your goals is generated when all componentsof fitness are incorporated into your workout program." Heart-through cardiovascular workout" Skeletal muscle-through strength training" Joints-through flexibility exercises. Avoid These Top 5 Workout Myths Do you know the health and fitness industry is plagued by an over abundance of workout myths? A myth is a fiction or half truth, especially one that forms part of an ideology. Rob tells Jen about a new fitness program that is suppose to deliver amazing results; Jen tells Ted, and Ted then tells Pam, but only half of what Rob said. 7 Ways To Guarantee You Stick To Your Workout Program 1. Begin Looking at Exercise Differently. Tone Up While at Work I know better than anybody that sitting at a desk all day can take a toll on your body. You don't get much movement and you can get what I like to call "spread butt"Here is how you can Tone at your Desk1. Diet and Exercise - Without Going to the Gym Exercising and dieting are tasks that are very difficult for many of us, but usually just the thought of it that makes us queasy. There are some simple ways to get out and get fit, and you just might enjoy yourself too. 3 Steps To Starting a Successful Fall Exercise Program Ah, the crisp cool breeze, the invigorating feel of the outdoors as the leaves start to turn colors, the sound of kids laughing on their way to school.Fall is the time for new beginnings. Exercise Program The exercise program you choose depends entirely on your fitness goals. The exercises you will be doing and the approach you take in performing these exercises will depend on whether you wish to gain muscle and strength, tone and lose weight or just stay in shape and be healthy. Success Versus Failure in the Exercise Department Success is what you are prepared to make of yourself every single day. That one cold morning when you want to roll over but instead get up and go to workout, is a defining moment. The Truth About Lactate and Exercise For years exercise scientists and physiologists have preached that lactate/lactic acid build-up in the muscle is the direct cause of muscle fatigue and a decrease in performance. It is proposed that lactate builds up in the muscle cells during intense exercise and literally "poisons" them, essentially shutting down activity biochemically by reducing the pH or increasing the acidity level. Arthritis Exercise - One Way to Relieve Pain & Stiffness in Your Joints (part 2) Even when you cannot make it out to walk or to an aquatics or yoga class, there are exercises you can do daily to improve flexibility, strength and conditioning when you suffer from arthritis. You can flex your legs while sitting in a chair facing forward, simply by moving your leg outward while keeping your foot on the floor and holding it there for a few seconds, then retracting it until your foot is behind you, then alternating to the other leg. Salsa Dancing for Fitness is Hot Salsa dancing is emerging as a refreshing replacement for conventional aerobic exercises. Classes based on the fiery music and movements of Salsa, Mambo, Cumbia, Merengue and more are starting to get people interested in Salsa dancing, while at the same time giving them a pounding workout. Six Simple Strategies to Turn Your Walks into Workouts If You are already fitness walking several times a week - great! Now its time to step it up a bit. Here are 6 ways to turn your walks into workouts. An Ab Exercise For Everyone! I don't have much of a problem with belly pouch or bulge, since I've been doing one ab exercise or another for most of my life to make my abs flat.But most of you haven't done any kind of ab exercise recently or ever in your life so you can benefit by my experience with one particular ab exercise especially. Incorporating Physical Activity into Your Daily Routine Not as Hard as You Think You already know that getting at least 30 minutes of exercise each and every day is good for you, but putting that assertion into actual practice is an entirely different matter, right? Contrary to what you might think, making physical activity an everyday habit isn't rocket science. There's no secret code for success waiting to be cracked. Interval Training Are you in an exercise rut? Do you want to kick your fitness level up a notch and increase your endurance? Would you like to add more intensity to you workout? Interval training is a good way to achieve all of these goals in a safe and systematic manner.Interval training is simply a matter of alternating high intensity exercise and low intensity exercise. Keep Exercise Journals For Real Results Always make sure to keep a detailed training journal. By keeping a journal of your training sessions, you will have a detailed log of your every exercise you perform along with reps, sets and how much weight you lifted. Get Out and Play: Top 7 Outdoor Exercises Do you remember when our parents used to yell at us to go outside and play? They would get so tired of us running around the house munching junk food and fighting with our siblings that they would practically kick us out of the house!Well, we may not have the same child-like activities lined up to get outside for anymore, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't still get out and enjoy the world! Exercising outdoors has many benefits, and they include the following:- Little or no equipment needed to get a good workout- No crowded gyms or obnoxious people to put up with- No driving time to the local fitness facility- No need to put on makeup or special clothing to workout at the gym- Vitamin D enhancing sunshine for our skin- The ability to workout anytime, anywhere - even on vacation- Two words: Fresh AirThere are probably other reasons that you can think of why an outdoor workout would fit into your particular lifestyle, so now all you have to do is learn what kind of activities can be done outside.Refer to the following Top 7 list of exercises that are sure to leave you sweaty, worn out, and feeling great when it's all over!LUNGESLike all exercises, lunges should be done with absolutely perfect form. |
home | site map | Contact Us |