Posted by Winston Salem | Posted in winston salem fitness | Posted on 28-06-2010
It’s great to spend some of your free summertime getting more physically fit by beginning an exercise program. In fact, exercise is one component of a healthy routine – particularly if you are looking to drop several pounds.
Depending on the types of activities you enjoy, try to get either 30 minutes of moderate exercise (increased heart rate, but still able to carry on a conversation) on at least five days per week, or 20 minutes of vigorous exercise (sweating, breathing heavily) on at least three days per week.
There isn’t one “quick” exercise that will help you shed pounds, but when you follow the recommendations above, and eat a sensible diet, you’ll be on your way to a sustainable, healthy weight for you.
To lose weight, most people need a combination of increased activity and decreased caloric intake. Beyond weight control, exercise yields important health benefits, including
• decreased blood pressure
• improved sleep
• stress management
• increased level of good cholesterol (HDL)
• improved blood sugar levels (among numerous other positive effects)
We can’t pick and pick where on our bodies we lose fat. Although it’s possible to tone and strengthen specific muscles, fat will not be diminished in a specific area by lifting weights or doing certain exercises focusing on that body part.
Body fat is decreased when we expend more calories than we take in – but we can’t control exactly where fat loss will take place.
Since your schedule can be especially tight, you can incorporate exercise into your daily travels. Biking or in-line skating to your destinations is a possible choice, perhaps as a way to keep active during the school year as well.
Taking the stairs whenever possible, getting off the bus or subway 1 or 2 stops earlier, parking further away when you drive, or even walking to work or school all contribute to your goal of being healthier by incorporating more movement into your life.
When you’re looking for a “total body workout” for the summer, consider swimming – which can also be a cooling activity when your summer is a hot one. Swimming engages quite a few muscles and provides cardiovascular benefits, too.
Varying strokes can help work other muscles (such as the breast stroke) or provide greater cardiovascular benefits (such as the butterfly).
There’s no secret easy answer, short-cut, or abbreviated workout that’ll yield magical results. Working each muscle group at least twice per week assists strengthen muscles.
Although everyone responds to workout at different rates, typically one or two sets of 8 to 12 repetitions, working the muscle to fatigue, is typically sufficient for strength building.
To maintain a fit body, it’s essential to carve some time into your schedule for exercise and planning healthy meals and snacks — however, as you can see, it doesn’t have to be a lot of time.
Scheduling these kinds of activities in your calendar as you would with social activities may help.
You can also make plans to train with a friend, multi-tasking this way can give you plenty of time to socialize and exercise.
