A guide to health: Part 3
Sunday, September 7th, 2008
Why is exercise important? Regular exercise benefits us in many ways, some examples:
- Our joints, bones, tendons & muscles benefit for the stress put on them
- Our mood is elevated as endorphins (’feel good’ chemicals) are released in the body.
- Helps us sleep better and deal with stress better
- Look better: regular exercise makes one look more toned than those who don’t.
- Increased metabolism and weight loss as excess calories are ‘burnt off’
A lifestyle of regular exercise has many benefits beyond some of the ones mention above. There are 2 major categories of exercise:
- Aerobic Training (80% + maximum heart rate)
- Strength Training (65&-75% maximum heart rate)
Loosely explained aerobic exercise is for the heart, and strength training is for muscle gain, tendons and for strengthening bones.
Aerobic exercise is best achieved when you push to 80%+ of your hearts maximum heart rate.
Strength Training is used to grow muscles and for support of joints and tendons. Strength training is the best place to start for fat loss! I recommend a mix of aerobic and strength training depending on the individuals fitness levels.
Exercise will not give the the maximum benefit if your nutrition needs are not meet or not up to scratch. What you put in is what you get out! GIGO.
Start jogging, swimming, tennis, squash, gym or whatever – but start.
PS: For the guys I recommend this reading:http://www.anthonycatanzaro.com/articles.html. For the ladies I recommend this information: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbinfo.php?page=FemaleTraining
