Exercising the right way

HUMAN, by nature wants to do things the easy way whenever there is a choice.

Should physical fitness be your choice of a goal, you should resist this tendency by making up your mind not to take the easy way every time.

Take each opportunity to exercise your muscles, heart, and lungs even you are nowhere near a gymnasium, fitness center etc..

Develop yourself a vigorous living pattern, an exercise program that is properly planned.

Exercise programs consists of three stages namely: Warm up - to get you ready for vigorous exertion, peak exertion - aimed to achieving a training effect, and cooling off - to return the body to normal.

These are vital in your exercise regime and these apply not only to a complete fitness program covering a long period but to each session of exercise such as an hour in the gym.

Impatient sports or exercise enthusiasts often overlook the warm-ups and cooling down stages because they want to get right to the nub of exercising, get their muscles vibrating, and get to their routine without delay.

Similarly, they feel they are ready to play a game of basketball after no more preparation than walking over the court, and at the conclusion of a game or exercise session, they feel all they need is a shower to be ready for normal workday activity.

Such an approach not only defeats the purpose of body conditioning and may be harmful or even hazardous to health, especially for sedentary adults over thirty five years old.

Planning your exercise program that includes warm ups as the body adjusts to exercise and adequate time to cool off and return to normal resting state is most important.

Because the connective tissues of middle- aged individuals are usually less elastic than they were in younger years; it needs careful pre-adaptation through stretching.

Likewise, in persons of any age who have been inactive, sudden exertion can produce strains and pain unless properly attended to heating up the body to accelerate metabolism, stretch tight ligaments and connective collagen tissue, lubricate creaky joints, stimulate heart and lung action, and sharpen muscular coordination.

During the first weeks of a fitness program, all exercise should follow this warm up quality and gradually increasing in intensity until the body is ready for heavier activities and peak energy output.