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The Fitness and Health Report
Information for a Healthy Life
April 4, Issue 9
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Starting An Exercise Program
- From The Fitness Frontline
Starting An Exercise Program
by Vicki Pierson, ACE Certified Personal Trainer
If you're considering putting an exercise program together it's perfectly
normal to have a lot of questions swimming around in your head. What's
the best activity to participate in? How do I get the most out of exercising?
How long should I exercise?
Often, the hardest part of getting into shape is taking the first step.
Here are some simple steps to help you begin your journey.
Think F.I.T.
To make physical improvements, you need to work your body harder than
usual. This is referred to as the overload principle. As your body becomes
more conditioned, you need to increase the frequency, intensity, or time
of your workouts in order to continue improving your fitness level.
Frequency: How often you exercise. For beginners, consider starting
with 2-3 sessions per week.
Intensity: How hard you exercise. For example, the pace you walk or
run, the amount of weight you lift, or your heart rate count.
Time: How long you perform an activity. "Time" can also refer
to the number of sets or repetitions you perform in weight training.
Exercise Component 1: Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise increases the health and function of your heart, lungs,
and circulatory system. For maximum effectiveness, aerobic exercise needs
to be rhythmic, continuous and involve the large muscle groups (primarily
located in the lower part of your body.) Walking, jogging, cycling, aerobic
dance, and stair climbing are examples of activities that use large muscle
groups. Activities combining upper and lower body movements such as cross-country
skiing, rowing, and swimming can lead to even higher levels of aerobic
capacity.
Exercise Component 2: Strength Training
Strength training is the process of exercising with progressively heavier
resistance to build or retain muscle. Unless you perform regular strength
exercise, you will lose up to one-half pound of muscle every year of life
after age 25. Muscle is a very active tissue with high-energy requirements,
even when you are asleep, your muscles are responsible for over 25% of
your calorie use. An increase in muscle tissue causes a corresponding
increase in the number of calories your body will burn, even at rest.
Exercise Component 3: Flexibility
Flexibility is a critical element of an exercise program but it is often
overlooked. Stretching is important for a number of reasons; increases
physical performance, decreases risk of injury, increases blood supply
and nutrients to the joints, increases neuromuscular coordination, reduces
soreness, improves balance, decreases risk of low back pain, and reduces
stress in muscles.
Choosing an Exercise
The best exercise is an activity that you enjoy enough to really pursue
enthusiastically.
Experiment with different forms of activity (cross training). Alternating
new activities with old favorites will keep your enthusiasm high. Cross
training also helps avoid injury due to repeatedly doing the same activity.
Here are some suggestions:
Indoor (Facility) Activities: If the treadmill, stairmaster, rowing machine
or stationery cycle doesn't excite you, sample some group activities that
strike your fancy.
Participate in a group cycling class, beat stress with yoga, find balance
with martial arts, stay cool with indoor swimming, or kick some you-know-what
with boxaerobics.
At Home Activities: You don't need to join a gym to experience a variety
of activities. Your local video store or library will carry a variety
of fitness videos that allow you to workout in the privacy of your home.
Some equipment may be required, depending on the activity you select.
A few inexpensive pieces of equipment include a jump rope, a set of hand
weights (preferably with weight plates that you can add and remove), Dyna-Bands
or tubing, or a basic step (for step aerobics).
If you enjoy working out at home then you may want to consider investing
in a larger piece of equipment such as a treadmill, ski machine, stationery
bicycle, or elliptical trainer.
Outdoor Activities: Outdoor activities abound during all four seasons.
Sample the variety of activities available to you. For example, take a
hike to enjoy the Fall colors, learn to cross-country ski when Old Man
Winter visits, walk among the flowers in the Spring, or dive into swimming
during the hot months of Summer. Getting outdoors into the fresh air not
only adds variety to your exercise program but it seems to provide an
uplifting of one's spirit as well.
Determining Your Starting Point
To achieve cardiovascular benefits, the American College of Sports Medicine
(ACSM) recommends exercising 3-5 times per week (frequency) with a training
heart rate of 60-85 percent of your maximum (intensity) for 20-60 minutes
(time).
To attain muscular fitness benefits, the ACSM recommends weight training
two days per week (frequency), performing one to three sets of 10 repetitions
(time) of eight to ten different exercises at approximately 70-85 percent
of your one repetition maximum (intensity.)
If you're just beginning an exercise program, start in the low range
of the above recommendations. For example, participate in a cardiovascular
activity (walking, aerobics, cycling, etc.) for 20 minutes, three times
a week and add strength training exercises to your workout, twice a week.
Schedule your strength training workouts with 48 hours rest in between
to allow your muscles to recuperate and repair after each workout.
Begin Slowly and Gradually Build
Unfamiliarity with movements and equipment can prove frustrating enough
that you may consider throwing in the towel. Take heart, it's normal to
feel awkward in the beginning, especially if you have undertaken an activity
that you aren't familiar with. It doesn't take long for your skill to
improve if you stick with it. Afterall, even fitness instructors were
once beginners!
If you attempt "too much, too soon" it will lead to soreness,
fatigue and/or injuries. Work at your own level, start out slow, and gradually
increase duration and level of difficulty as your body progresses. Getting
fit is not an overnight proposition, it's a lifestyle commitment. Don't
expect immediate dramatic changes in your body shape or weight loss. Although
changes are happening internally, most external benefits won't become
visible for the first four to six weeks. Stay focused on your lifestyle
choice and celebrate the internal benefits you're experiencing such as
increased energy, less stress and anxiety, higher self-esteem, and an
increased feeling of well-being.
Staying Motivated
Only one-third of those who begin an exercise program are still exercising
by the end of their first year. The good news is that with some strategizing
and planning, you can beat the dropout odds and make a successful transition
to a lifestyle that incorporates exercise. Here's some tips to help you
stay motivated.
Find a Fitness Partner: Studies show that exercise adherence is generally
greater if the family or a friend is included in the commitment to exercise.
Find a walking partner, play tennis with your spouse, or go rollerblading
with the kids. If you would like an online fitness partner to share motivation
and tips with, visit our Find a Fitness Partner bulletin board.
Start an Exercise Log or Journal: An exercise log or journal is an excellent
way to chart your progress and provide motivation. Nothing beats the feeling
of success as you read through your accomplishments. Exercise logs can
take on many forms; a calendar to record your workouts, a daily journal
to record your feelings and goals, a computerized exercise log, or a log
purchased at bookstore. The key is to select a log or journal that fits
your needs and provides you the kind of information that is meaningful
to you.
Schedule Your Workouts: Exercise must be a priority in order to establish
it as a lifestyle practice. Make time for your workouts and schedule them
on your daily calendar or planner.
Toss Your Scale: Ask yourself, "How often has stepping on the scale
in the morning ruined my day?" If your answer is "often,"
consider whether or not you should give that little machine such power
over you. The fact is that exercise should not revolve around a number
on a scale. Exercise should be about making a commitment to your health
and well being, weight loss is a natural side effect of that commitment.
Dress the Part: Wear comfortable clothes appropriate for exercising,
they will help you feel like working out. If you exercise at a gym put
your exercise wear in a bag and set it beside the door the night before.
When it's time to head out the door, all you have to do is grab your bag
on the way out.
Entertain Yourself: If you exercise alone, consider using a Walkman to
listen to your favorite music or books on tape to help keep you entertained
during your workout. Many pieces of exercise equipment have racks that
fit onto the console to hold reading material. If you exercise at home,
turn on some music or bring the television within viewing range.
Evaluate Your Progress: It's a good idea to test your fitness level when
you start and re-evaluate yourself every couple of months. There are a
variety of fitness tests that you can administer yourself. Getting a body
composition test is another great way to chart your progress and can be
done every four to six months. The local YMCA or fitness club can perform
this test at a minimal cost, even if you're not a member.
--By Vicki R. Pierson, ACE Certified Personal Trainer The Fitness Jumpsite http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner
From The Fitness Frontline
What is the "epidemic" of our times? It could be obesity,
lack of exercise or a disease that's related to both: diabetes. All three
have been so described recently by health-care officials and are under
attack in the widely publicized Healthy People 2010 goals announced in
January by the Surgeon General and the Department of Health and Human
Services. The 10 leading indicators of health in the nation, said the
Surgeon General, are physical activity, obesity, tobacco use, substance
abuse, responsible sexual behavior, mental health, injuries and violence,
environmental quality, immunization and access to health care.
It seems significant that "physical activity" was listed first-the
most important indicator of the nation's health. One of the key goals
for Healthy People 2010 is to increase from 15% to 30% the proportion
of people who exercise five or more days a week. (New York Times, Feb.
1).
Being inactive contributes to at least 17 chronic diseases and is responsible
for 250,000 deaths a year, writes biologist Frank Booth in the Journal
of Applied Physiology. Only cigarette smoking kills more people (400,000),
and more people die from lack of exercise than from alcohol, firearms,
illicit drugs and motor vehicle accidents combined. Lack of activity is
a "modern plague," Booth says, calling for national attention
to the problem--as well as more money for research. He has formed an advocacy
group, Scientists Against Inactivity-Related Diseases. (Kansas City Star,
Feb. 21)
Here's more fuel for the some-is-good but more-is-better debate. A study
of 1,132 men and women conducted by Wayne Westcott at the South Shore
YMCA in Quincy, Mass., found that working out twice a week produced 90%
of the benefits achieved by working out three times a week. People who
followed a 25-minute strength and aerobic workout twice a week over a
two-month period added 2.2 pounds of muscle and lost 4 pounds of fat.
Those who did the workout three times a week added 2.5 pounds of muscle
and lost 4.6 pounds of fat. (Quincy Patriot-Ledger, Jan. 25)
Scientific studies on the health benefits of strength-training are beginning
to appear in increasing numbers. When the Surgeon General's Report on
Physical Activity and Health was issued in 1996, its recommendations were
based entirely on studies of cardiovascular exercise because, its authors
said, not enough scientific evidence existed to demonstrate that strength
training improved health. That's all changing now, as indicated by a new
report from the American Heart Association that strength training improves
the health of the heart by lowering "bad" cholesterol, increasing
"good" cholesterol and lowering blood pressure. It also may
improve the processing of sugar, reducing the risk of diabetes. (Reuters,
Feb. 18)
Fitness facilities and hospitals continue to team up. More than 1.2 million
Americans have joined 550 medical fitness centers, reports the American
Fitness Association. Some centers are in hospitals, others are at separate
sites. About 90% of the members are there for medical reasons and many
have highly specialized exercise regimens. This trend began in the 1970s
to treat people with heart problems, but now a wide variety of diseases
and injuries are treated. Cuts in insurance payments for physical therapy
help drive this trend. (Washington Post, Jan. 25)
Reprinted by permission from the Sporting Good Manufacturers Association, http://www.sportlink.com/
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