Set realistic expectations for your exercise work outs. After you have had a check-up, talked with your doctor and gained the go ahead for an exercise routine, there are some basic rules that will help you ensure that you have set realistic goals. First and foremost, if something hurts, stop immediately. If the pain persists when you begin to exercise again, take a break.
If you are under the weather, take it easy. If you have experienced some unusual pain or if you have been sick, when you start your routine up again, start slowly as you did when you first began your exercise routine. If you feel chest pain or pressure, breathing trouble or excessive shortness of breath persistent pain in a muscle or joint, nausea and unusual balance difficulties you should make an appointment to meet with your doctor immediatly.
The best way to get started on an exercise routine is to begin with 10 minutes a couple of times a day. Take it slow and easy, moving at a consistent pace. Be sure to wear comfortable and non-restrictive clothing. Dressing in multiple clothing layers is a key element to ensure that you can physically adjust as your body temperature rises. Early on, do not overexert yourself in anyway and be sure to drink plenty of water before, during and after your activities.
Always ease your body into an exercise regime. Stretching or walking for at least 5 minutes is a great way to get both looser and warmed up. As you start to feel stronger, gradually increase both the time and intensity of your physical activity. If you are walking then walk faster or even walk uphill. Also walk for longer periods of time. If bicycling, do likewise. If you can become active with your friends you stand a good chance of keeping your exercise routine interesting. Finally, work for consistency. If you do a small amount of your exercise routine every day, it will become a part of a physical fitness program that you will automatically become accustomed to. Also, many people focus on doing a lot of erercise, but only on an occassional basis. That tends to make it difficult to keep up your routine - with research pointing to regularity and consistency, keeping up your fitness routine is the most important aspect of your program.
Remember, your schedule can include a variety of activity. It is also possible to mix traditional forms of exercise with the non-traditional to ensure that your routine is neither grueling nor boring. Non-traditional forms can include gardening, walking your dog, and even spending an evening going dancing. Most importantly, if you are having fun, your routine will be better for you overall, physically, mentally and emotionally. Most importantly it will be much easier for you to maintain.
A tip that helps those who start an exercise schedule to maintain that schedule is to keep an Activity Log. Writing down what types of activity you do everyday is a great way help you realize just how much you have accomplished or have not accomplished on any given day. In addition, as the days go on, your log will make it easier for you to keep up your new pace especially when you are to look back to see the progress you have made.
Physical activity yields a multitude of physical, mental and psychological benefits. Regular physical activity potentially reduces a person's risk of heart disease and if the person experiences hypertension, exercise will also lower the blood pressure of the exerciser. Physical exercise protects against loss in bone mass, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and reduces the risk of falling and breaking a bone in the fall. New research shows that regular exercise may help to prevent Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Exercise also increases your body metabolism helping shed useless weight - increased muscle mass helps a person burn more calories as muscle burns more calories than fat. A healthy, strong body is also the surest way to fight off infection and sickness, as well as allow people who become sick to recover from their illness far more quickly.
There is no doubt that a physically active lifestyle is one of the most important contributions to healthy aging. The key is to start now. In fact, many people will state that the most difficult part of any new endeavor is getting started. So the key is to simply tell yourself that you can do it and the time to do it is now. Be sure to pace yourself and move slowly at the outset, making exercise a regular part of your day. Regardless of the amount of time and the intensity of the work out, the key is to start by doing something, anything. If you can make it a habit, then it will become easier for you to create a routine that you can consistently commit to and ultimately build upon if you seek to increase your fitness.
