Starting Exercise
The more you exercise, the more fit you will become and you will live longer. Most Americans have little to no exercise in their daily lives. Only 15% of adults get the minimum recommended amount of physical activity. If you have a regular exercise program that meets or exceeds the recommendations, you will be far ahead of most everyone else. Aside from weight loss, exercise has other beneficial effects, especially on the cardiovascular system (heat and blood vessels). Your heart gets stronger and can pump more blood with each beat. Your blood vessels allow more blood to flow through them. As you become more fit, your heart rate and blood pressure go down. This is especially true for people who already have high blood pressure. How Hard to Push Yourself when Starting Exercise Two ways to measure exercise are by time and by intensity. You know you are exercising hard enough if you begin sweating, feel tired, and are at least a little breathless. This should make you feel like you are working “somewhat hard” or “hard”. However, if you feel pain or any abnormal body sensations, you should stop. Starting exercise of moderate-intensity along with losing weight can make you healthier. However, to get the most health benefits out of starting exercise programs, you need to participate in high-intensity exercise. This could be something like walking at a fast pace for 3 minutes then walking for 3 minutes at an easier pace, and alternating back and fourth. After exercising, a 5 minute cool-down will help the blood flow go back to the rest of your body from your muscles. This can be easy walking or stretching. How Much to do when Staring Exercise Programs This is where the time part comes in. The minimum recommended amount of exercise is at least 30 to 60 minutes per day for at least 4 to 6 days per week. This can be broken up throughout the day. For example, if you are trying to exercise for 45 minutes total one day. You can exercise for 15 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes later in the day. The more you exercise the more weight you should lose. A recent study on overweight women who lived a sedentary life style showed that in order for them to lose weight, they had to eat a calorie restricted diet and have a starting exercise amount of nearly 1 hour per day for 5 days per week. For them to continue weight loss after two years, they needed to exercise 68 min/day for 5 days/week. Types of Exercise There are two big categories of exercise: aerobic and strength-training. Aerobic exercise gets your heart rate up, and you are generally active during most of the activity. Strength-training is when you do specific exercises in repetitions against resistance that target specific muscles, like weight lifting. It is important that enjoy whatever form of exercise you are doing and you should feel safe while doing it. Aerobic exercise is the kind that you should do for 30 to 60 minutes per day 4 to 6 days per week and should make you feel tired and little breathless as well as build up a sweat. Aerobic exercise gives you most of the health benefits of exercise. For a lot of people, the most appropriate starting exercise is walking. However, you can chose from several different types of exercise. Virtually all sports where you get up to the minimum intensity will work. Some examples are swimming, jogging, bicycling, basketball, soccer, tennis, and the list goes on and on. If walking is not for you, chose a form of aerobic exercise that you enjoy. You can even do more then one type. Strength-training adds to the benefits of aerobic exercise. When lifting weights, using weight machines, or doing strength training exercises without weights, you should do 10 to 15 repetitions of each exercise. Try to cover all your major muscle groups: arms, shoulders, chest, trunk, back, hips, and legs. You should do strength training 2 to 3 times per week. Everyone Is Different Some people may enjoy different exercises more than others. That is ok, as long as you get the time and intensity that you need, but some people should start at different goals. People who are not already physically active in their daily lives should start at lower intensities and for a shorter amounts of time. They can then build up. Also, do not be discouraged if you do not progress as fast as someone else. As long as you are exercising and putting fourth effort, you are on your way to being healthier and losing weight. Some Cautions If you have flu-like symptoms, you should cut back or stop exercising until you recover. If it takes longer than 2 to 3 weeks to recover, you should start back a lower level. If you have had a heart attack, you need to approach exercising carefully. Most people will benefit from starting exercise programs after a heart attack if they do it correctly. Initially, walking should begin gradually with a goal of building up to walking 5 to 10 minutes at a time. As you progress, your doctor can advise you on how much more exercise you can do. You should discuss any exercise with your doctor, especially if you have had a heart attack. For people who have a condition called heart failure, it is recommended that they participate in a supervised exercise program. If you have any medical condition that is of a concern to you, you need to talk to your doctor about this before starting an exercise program He or she will also be glad to know that you are making this positive life change. Resources for Starting Exercise Programs Return to
Exercise
or
Home Page. It is important you discuss any weight loss or exercise plan with your doctor. Only you and your physician can decide what is best for you. Some people have certain conditions that prevent them from doing all exercises, and goal body weights may be different for different people. You need to discuss all these things with your physician before starting any weight loss or exercise program. This article was written by
John Vickery, MD.
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