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Options for Exercise

Physical fitness is to the human body what fine-tuning is to an engine. Fitness enables you to perform up to your potential. Being more active and physically fit helps you look, feel, and do your best. Staying physically fit may be the fountain of youth that delays the onset of age-related disabilities. For more information, check out Medline Plus a website that U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health jointly maintain.

Doctors and health professionals will tell you, “You need to eat right, exercise your muscles, get your heart rate up, and lose weight.” As a result, you may decide that you are going to tie up those walking shoes and walk around the lake. If you haven’t been active, get a complete physical first. Find out from your doctor what you can and cannot do; then start your exercise program. Look at your local recreational center for exercise classes. You might want to join a gym.

Everyone’s exercise routine should include both cardiovascular exercise, exercise that gets your heartbeat up, and strength training, exercise that strengthens your muscles.

Find yourself bored with your fitness routine? Add variety or change the scenery. If you exercise indoors, head outward to the great outdoors. Change from weight machines to free weights. Try water aerobics, yoga, or boxing. Look for a way to recharge your exercise routine.

Whatever exercises you undertake, remember to enjoy them. The old mentality of “no pain, no gain” is out. Exercise safely and do not push your body beyond what you can do physically. Make sure you warm up, exercise, and cool down. Drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration.

Now, get off that couch and exercise that body! You owe it to yourself.

Don’t know where to start? Check out the fliers below, developed by Mia Bremer, Clinical Exercise Specialist:

• Cardiovascular Training
• Strength Training
• Flexibility Training
• Gait & Balance Training

Page Author: Stephen Hull