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Exercise
Exercise is necessary to reach
optimum health. Fitness is a lifelong commitment, but the benefits are enormous
- firm muscles, strong bones, heart and lungs, improved blood circulation,
strength, endurance, limbered joints, improved digestion, constipation relief
and increased immune system.
Aerobics and Anaerobics
Aerobic exercise increases your heart rate. This in turn increases your blood
circulation, which brings more oxygen to your muscles. Exercises that involve
steady, rhythmic motions of your major muscle groups and burn oxygen for more
than a brief spurt are considered aerobic because they force your heart and
lungs to work at anywhere from 60 to 85 percent of their capacity. Running is a
good example of an aerobic exercise.
An anaerobic exercise isolates
the movement of muscles but doesn't add any extra oxygen to the blood.
Isometrics or weight lifting are good examples of anaerobic exercises. They were
designed to increase muscle size and strength, but not necessarily to help
oxygenate your blood.
Warming up and cooling down are
important when exercising and prevent blood pooling, muscle injury, cramps and
in extreme cases, cardiac arrest. Stretch arms, legs and back prior to
exercising. Continuing walking or moving lightly after exercising to allow your
body to cool down.
- walking
- running
- biking
- dancing
- swimming
- rowing
- cross-country skiing
- jumping rope
- skating
Flexibility
Flexibility prevents injury and muscle
shortening. (Muscle shortening can happen over time due to weight training.) It
is important to stretch before a workout.
Balance
Practicing balance works the tiny
stabilizer muscles in the
body, making the entire body strong, not just the larger muscles (from weights).
Here is an interesting statistic: if you
ride a bike outside and one inside, all else constant, you burn more calories
outside, because you have to balance the bike. |
