It cannot be denied that exercise is the magic pill to healthy living. After all, exercise can help people recover from many diseases and conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, and depression. The obvious benefit of weight loss makes it even more appealing to many. Yet such activity shouldn’t be done just once. The full potential of exercise can only be tapped if you get moving and keeping it that way. In that way, your investment in yourself could lead to massive benefits throughout your later years.
To get started, here is a beginner’s guide to exercise.
CHECK YOURSELF
The first step to any workout routine is to evaluate how fit you are in your preferred physical activity. If you are to start an exercise program, it is best to consult your doctor. For those who are older or have health conditions, you should have a medical certificate to proceed, along with the consultation to ensure that no complications may arise from your workout. You can also consult a fitness instructor who can be an invaluable help in your workout routine.
As a beginner, start low and go slow. Do not rush your exercise routine, or you may risk injury or lose interest early on. Remember, you can only push yourself to a certain degree.
REMEMBER
There are many terms that you may encounter in the world of fitness. Among them are warm-up, cooldown, set, and repetition. A warm-up is a light exercise sequence in your routine wherein you prepare your body for more strenuous exercises. Cooldown is an exercise sequence in your routine where you do acts to cool your body down after some strenuous activity. Set refers to repeating an exercise by a specific amount. Repetition refers to the number of times you perform an exercise sequence.
BABY STEPS
Before any workout starts, make sure that you do your warm-up exercise. This is to ensure that your body could withstand the strain of much more intensive exercises later on to some degree. After warming up, you could do three types of exercises for overall fitness.
Cardiovascular activity concerns walking, running, or jogging. For a start, do a 20–30-minute walk or if you can manage to do it, incorporate running into your routine.
Strength conditioning concerns building strength around your muscles. To do this, use some free weights that you can manage. Perform them at least eight times per set. You can do this at least twice a week to maximize your performance and make the most out of your investments in making your body stronger.
Flexibility training concerns building strength around your bones and joints. To do this, do some sustained stretching exercises slowly. Preferably, you should do this at least three times a week. For a proper stretching exercise, start from your upper body and then progress to your lower body.
WORKOUT FROM HOME
Exercise equipment allows you to perform routines in a controlled manner. These kinds of equipment may need a lot of credit card swiping. However, investing in exercise equipment could augment your exercise routine and save you a lot of money in the long run.
A treadmill could allow you to do cardio in a fixed location. Furthermore, you can adjust the speed and elevation of the treadmill to your liking and capabilities.
Free weights like barbells and dumbbells allow you to perform strength exercises without a large space. Other strength training equipment like flexible bands and weight stacks could help you train proper posture but are quite bulky.
Exercise balls are large elastic balls that can be used for stretching and strength exercises. However, you must be careful about using them, as improper use can cause injury.
Exercise videos and compilation DVDs allow you to have insights into proper exercising. You may pick up some exercises to your liking and incorporate them into your routine.
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