Physical fitness is instrumental in leading a healthy life. In an era where sedentary lifestyles have become prevalent, maintaining good health has turned into a necessity.
However, our round the clock jobs and unplanned diets have rendered us unable to do so. Therefore, the primary sufferer of our largely inactive routine has been our health. This is precisely why introducing some form of exercise into our everyday lives has become all the more important.
Nevertheless, exercise only works when you know exactly what you want to achieve. For example, if your goal is to build up muscle mass, brisk walking might not be the best way to go. Similarly, if your purpose is to shed weight, jogging would be a better option than a bench press.
Ergo, finding the right kind of exercise which works best for your body and helps you meet your goals, and at the same time is in itself a significant task. This is especially important if you are a beginner. Usually, when we begin exercising, we exhaust ourselves by taking on too much, too soon. We do not give our bodies the chance or the time to adapt and thus, end up feeling demotivated after a few primary runs.
In reality, challenging our bodies is an art which needs to be learnt step by step. They need to be taken from one milestone to another in a steady way. Thereby, the pace, length, timing, and capacity of the exercise to be undertaken needs to be carefully accounted for.
It is also vital to remember that no exercise can’t be of any use unless it is matched in equal measure by a proper dietary pattern. You need to ensure that you are consuming just the right amount of nutrients. A well-planned diet can go a long way in supplementing the benefits which can be derived out of exercising regularly.
At this juncture, it is crucial to know what the benefits of exercise truly are and how they can assist us in leading a better life.
Though different forms of exercise result in different types of benefits, they collectively contribute to the general well-being of the body. The basic benefits which can be reaped out of exercises include:
Exercising releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter chemical, which is responsible for sending messages between the brain and the different nerve cells of the body. Moreover, by triggering hormonal changes, exercise also reduces stress and anxiety, which further contributes to making a person feel good.
One of the easiest ways to shed those extra pounds is to exercise daily. Not only does it help burn calories, but it also diminishes the amount of fat stored in the body, thus making it slimmer and more energetic.
As muscles tug and push against bones for an extended period during physical activity, the tissues of both become stronger. The muscular mass tends to build up as do the bone joints, which turn more resilient and flexible.
Exercise is indeed the best cure for fatigue. It helps the body release natural hormones called Endorphins which further induce a feeling of euphoria. In other words, endorphins trigger a sudden burst of energy which makes us perform better.
Chronic illnesses essentially arise due to the presence of extra fat in the body. This fat has the capacity to fuel diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and even cancer. Physical activity in the form of exercise fights this stubborn fat, thus reducing the body's risk of contracting chronic diseases.
Exercise has a direct impact on blood flow. It improves the blood's ability to carry oxygen to different parts of the body, especially the skin. Consequently, the skin tissues are revitalised as they receive greater quantities of haemoglobin. This results in a healthy, fresh, and glowing skin.
Regular exercise enables the body and the brain to remain alert and active. By reducing inflammation and stimulating the release of growth hormones, exercise causes the brain cells to function well. This leads to better brain health and accordingly, better cognitive skills.
Exercise is known to visibly improve sleep quality. When you exercise, your body temperature suddenly rises. As you stop, it falls, thereby providing a sense of relaxation. Physical activity also cures insomnia by increasing the amount of deep sleep, which is rejuvenating.
By relaxing stiff muscles and increasing bone strength, exercise helps reduce constant aches and pains. More so, it aids in the development of a good body posture which is crucial for reducing the risk of injuries that might cause pain.
Exercise, owing to its calming effects, has been found to improve sex life. It produces feel-good hormones called endorphins while at the same time, lowers the body's cortisol levels. This helps increase stamina which further leads to a healthy sex drive.
Despite the obvious benefits, it is exceedingly important to know which type of exercise would specifically suit your body's requirements. This is why being aware of the different forms of exercise is critical.
Depending upon the results you plan to achieve out of physical activity, exercise can be divided into certain types. These have been listed as follows:
Commonly referred to as cardio, aerobic exercises involve high-intensity physical activities which require constant pumping of oxygenated blood by the heart so that it can be steadily delivered to the muscles. Consequently, the heart rate and the breathing rate are both stimulated in such a way that they last throughout the entire exercising session without causing you to lose breath.
Though they have numerous other benefits, aerobic exercises basically strengthen our cardiovascular system and help our body fight the scourge of obesity. Walking, hiking, swimming, running, dancing, and kickboxing are the simplest examples of aerobic exercises. However, it must be noted that if aerobic exercises are performed at extremely high intensities, it becomes ineffective and turns into anaerobic exercises.
Quite like the name suggests, endurance training involves a set of exercises which help you build your body's stamina. This occurs as the body physiologically adapts to the various changes which are induced by endurance training. In the beginning, the heart rate stabilises and the cardiac output increases which further causes the muscle fibres to toughen. Slowly, the surface area of the arterial capillaries expands, resulting in better oxygen supply to and from the heart. Owing to these subtle transformations taking place within the body, the muscles become more efficient and resistant to fatigue.
Playing sports and indulging in outdoor activities is the best way to undertake endurance training. These can keep both your respiratory and circulatory systems in order, so that your body is continuously pushed towards a better tolerance capacity.
Along with aerobics and endurance, strength training should form one of the most essential parts of your daily exercise regimen. The word 'strength' here, specifically refers to the strengthening of muscles. Not only does strength training boost your metabolic rate but it also protects your body from injury. This simply means that your muscles will become powerful enough to resist small traumas. More so, the increased metabolic rate would ensure that you keep burning calories even when your body is in a state of rest!
Nonetheless, strength training must not be confused with professional bodybuilding. Unlike the latter, strength training includes exercises like squats, push-ups, lunges, planks, dumbbell lifting, and hip extensions.
In simple words, balance training includes exercises which help maintain and retain your body's balance. They help you stay upright, strengthen your spine and toughen your muscles. The primary focus of this type of exercise is to make your core areas stronger and sturdier. To top it, they improve your neuro-muscular coordination so that your body and brain can function in perfect harmony. Usually, balance exercises are of moderate intensity but because they involve some challenging poses, they are best done with the assistance of a practitioner.
Leg swings, one-legged squat, standing tree dead-lift, reverse lunges, etc. are a few typical examples of balance training which you can perform. These exercises can also be done with equipment like balance boards, balance balls, and foam rollers.
The principal aim of these type of exercises is to help your body remain flexible. In order to accomplish this task, flexibility exercises simply provide for the stretching of muscles. This kind of stretching neither improves your endurance nor does it work upon your strength. However, it makes sure that your body turns pliable, thus giving it a greater freedom of movement. In layman's terms, flexibility exercises are known as a warm-up.
Flexibility exercises should generally be done either before you begin your daily exercise routine or after you finish it. They include leg stretches, forward bends, yoga or pilates. In fact, you can choose the specific part of your body that you want to make more flexible and work upon it accordingly.
Although this entire set of five types is necessary for ensuring complete physical fitness, you do not need to perform all the exercises every day. You can develop a routine wherein aerobics are coupled with endurance training on one day and balance exercises on the next.
Owing to our busy schedules and a lack of inclination, most of us tend to give exercise the least priority. Even when we can spare time, we prefer to skip exercise and indulge in other activities instead.
This is why it is immensely important to make certain that you have a well-defined regimen which can be religiously followed every day. Here are a few exercise tips to get you started:
Without exercise forming a part of your daily routine, complete physical fitness will only remain a distant dream.
Most people are terrified by the idea of exercising at home. With no equipment and no easy instruction available at hand, how do they really go about it? What if something goes wrong? What if they suffer an injury? None of these questions can be appropriately answered without complete understanding of how an exercising regimen can be actively pursued at home.
First and foremost, you need to be aware of the five elements which constitute an exercising routine. These are:
To effectively perform exercises at home you should:
Despite the lack of ease, home-based workouts can be used as an excellent way to ensure that you undertake exercises which are meant to meet the needs of your body in your own particular way.
It is a grave misconception that men and women require different types of exercise. Even though their body structures vary, the basic body composition remains the same. In reality, there is a set of certain exercises which can be easily done by both, men and women. These are:
Stand with your feet apart. Place your hands either behind your head or stretch them out front. Start flexing your knees and begin to sit back with your hips. Keep your head and chest straight while you bend your hips into a sitting position. Stay in this posture for as long as you can. Finally, stand up and repeat this motion. Squats help strengthen muscles while minimising the risk of injury.
Lie down and set your hands about shoulder-width apart. Place your feet at a right angle against the ground. Steadily, lift up your body by balancing your weight on your palms and toes. Make sure that you keep your back straight. Stay in this position for some time and then gradually lower back down. Repeat this cycle at least ten times. Push-ups are a great way to strengthen your arms, legs, and torso.
Walk over to the barbell and place your foot under it. Bend your knees so that they are placed right above the barbell. Grab the bar, straighten your lower back and thrust your chest forward. Slowly lift the barbell. However, be very sure that you do not lift the weight with a jerk. Hold the barbell for a few seconds and then place it back with a steady hand. Dead-lift is a full body exercise, though the weights which can be picked up by men and women may vary.
Lie down on the bench in such a position that your eyes are right below the bar. Raise your hands and grip the bar in such a way that your thumbs are placed around it. Slowly, straighten your arms and lift the bar. Bend your elbows and bring the bar down to your chest level. Repeat this cycle at least ten times. A bench press is an excellent way to induce both, strength and mobility.
Lie down with your forearms firmly placed on the floor such that your elbows are directly underneath your shoulders. Flex your feet downwards and balance them on your toes. Raise your body in a way that it hovers slightly above the ground. Make certain that your body weight is entirely on your forearms and toes. Also, keep your shoulders, back, and hips in a straight line. Hold this position for a few seconds before you go back down and repeat the movement.
These five are the basic exercises which can be performed by both, men and women without any difficulties.
In order to make exercise a part of your daily schedule, you need to start small and stay consistent. Here are a few ways by which you can maintain an excellent schedule of exercise-
Once you introduce these suggestions in your daily routine, maintaining and sustaining an exercise schedule would become tremendously easy.
If you are a beginner, it is important to research a little before you start following an exercising regimen. Here are a few tips which can help you stay attentive and cautious:
Exercise, in simple terms, is any type of physical movement which works your body at a greater intensity than its usual level. It increases your heart rate, builds your muscles, improves your blood flow and provides a plethora of other benefits which enable your body to stay strong and healthy
So, if you haven't yet found the time or the stimulus to begin working out, it is time to pull up your socks and start now!
Disclaimer- The tips & exercises suggested are the personal opinions of the writer. Kindly consult a licensed physician/dietitian/practitioner before implementing the same.
