Helpful Tips
National Academy of Sports Medicine
“AJ”
Certified Exercise Specialist
Many people exercise to lose weight or get in better physical condition; but exercise can also be an extremely effective stress reliever for several reasons:
Outlet for Frustrations: When frustrating situations build up, you can become stressed or even experience low-grade anger. High-energy forms of exercise like boxing and weight training provide an effective release of these negative emotions, turning unhealthy emotions into motivation for increased health and well-being.
Exercise and Stress Hormones: Exercise can decrease stress hormones and increase endorphins (the body’s ‘feel-good’ chemicals), giving your mood a natural boost.
Distraction: Physical activity itself can take your mind off the problems and redirect it to the activity at hand. Exercise usually involves a change of scenery, which is often a pleasant and low-stress place.
Looking Good: Exercise helps you lose weight, tone your body, and maintain a healthy glow and smile. Better fitting clothes and increased confidence and strength can relieve stress for those who are concerned with their appearance.
Social Support: You can enjoy a double dose of stress relief with the combined benefits of exercise and fun with friends. Having others work out with you can make you feel good as well as help motivate you to push harder to get a better workout without it feeling so much like “work.”
Increased Health: While stress can cause illness, illness can also cause stress—with the physical pain, missed activities, feelings of isolation and other costs that come with it. So improving your overall health and longevity with exercise can also save you a great deal of stress in the short run by strengthening your immunity to colds, the flu and other minor illnesses, and the long run by helping you stay healthier longer and enjoy life more because of it.
Training:
Start a better Life By Exercising
The best way to learn proper of exercising and how to use exercise equipment is to get hands on instruction with a personal trainer or exercise books. Make sure you have someone to report to because having someone would be a motivation factor.
THE PROGRAM
All you need is a constant 3-5 days per week of both resistance training and cardiovascular training (Cardio). Drink plenty of water during your workouts. After your first workout you may notice how weak you are and feel like this is too hard. Don’t let this discourage you. Yes you are weak and that’s why you need to workout. It may seem overwhelming so here’s what you do.
RESISTANCE TRAINING
Pick a light weight where you can do 15-20 semi tough reps with good form.
Next time you work out do the same. By the time you able to do 20 reps stay there until you can do 2-3 sets . Continue with this design until it becomes easy and that’s when you add a little more. Stay with 15 reps.
CARDIO
Exercise is more than resistance training it’s also about cardio. While resistance training will increase bone density, cardio will make your heart and lungs healthier. Cardio should be done for at least 20 consecutive minutes. After 2-3 weeks Cardio need to be at least 30- 45 min.
End Results
This was a very basic plan on how to get started and design your own program. Exercise doesn’t have to be too complicated for it to work. Remember, great things take time to build and your body is no exception. Keep going, don’t give up and you will achieve a better quality of life
Prioritize Your Schedule For Fitness:
If exercise isn’t a priority for you and you’d like it to be, take some time to go through these steps and answer a few questions. Getting insight into why you do what you do (or don’t do) is the only way to change things for the better.
Admit the truth. Do you really lack the time to exercise is there some other reason you’re not fitting in workouts? Start by exploring your perspective on exercise and whether it’s really a priority. Next, find out other reasons you don’t exercise to get clear on what’s really stopping you.
Ask yourself: If I commit to exercise, how would I accommodate it? Sit down with your schedule and see what you come up with, reminding yourself that you’re not committing to anything just yet. Maybe you could get up 15 minutes early for a strength workout or use part of your lunch hour to take a brisk walk. Make a list of all the times you could exercise, no matter how short.
What routines would I need to change in order to exercise? With your previous list in mind, what would have to change if you used that extra time for exercise? For example, for morning exercise, you would have to gather your exercise clothes the night before and get up earlier than usual. Go through each step in your mind or, better yet, practice one day to see what would have to change if you did this on a regular basis.
What kind of exercise schedule could I live with right now? If you had to schedule exercise this week, what would fit in with your life right now? A 15 minute walk before breakfast and a half-hour at lunch? A quick jog with the dog after work or a workout video before dinner? How many days of exercise would you be willing to commit to? Forget about how many days you should exercise and concentrate on how many days you will exercise.
Practice, Practice, Practice. Using all the information you’ve gathered, set up a workout schedule and commit to practicing it for, say, two weeks. Then, reassess and see how you’re doing. Do your workouts fit well with your current routines? Is it working or do you need to make changes? Practice is how you determine what will work and what won’t.
Too often, we worry so much about getting the perfect amount of exercise in that we end up getting no exercise at all. It’s tough to let go of the idea that long, sweaty workouts are the only ones that ‘count,’ but in the new world we live in, we have to make some changes in how we live. Making time for exercise, even if it’s just 5 to 10 minutes at a time, is your first step to making it a permanent part of your life. By” Paige Waehner” About .com