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Benefits of Exercising

This section is loaded with articles and information about exercise.  Be sure to check out our spotlight section which features a different type of exercise to get you in shape.

Articles

What Exercise Can Do for You
Enjoy Jogging—But Watch the Risks!
Physical Inactivity Can Kill You

Which Exercise Is Best for you

The usual questions about exercise are, What kind of exercise, and how much? That really depends on what one wants to accomplish. An Olympic athlete must train long and hard to remain fit. For most people, the goal may be to lose weight, to get in shape, to enjoy better health, or just to feel well. For them, most health experts agree, 20 to 30 minutes of exercise three times a week is needed to keep fit. But what kind of exercise?

Fitness involves one’s physical capacity, age, and endurance, so exercise should aim to elevate one’s rate of heartbeat and breathing during the workout. This is what is commonly called aerobic exercise. Running, brisk walking, aerobic dancing, rope skipping, swimming, and cycling are common forms of aerobic exercise, each with its advantages and disadvantages in terms of convenience, cost of facilities and equipment, chance of injury, and so on.

Other forms of exercise strengthen the muscles and shape the body. These include workouts with exercise machines and weights. Such exercises increase one’s physical strength and endurance and can improve one’s posture and appearance as well—all pluses in the pursuit of a fit body.

What about the calisthenic exercises that most of us remember only too well from our school days? They did us a lot of good, whether we appreciated them at the time or not. Stretching, turning, and twisting limber up the body. Jumping and kicking speed up the heart rate. Sit-ups, push-ups, and chin-ups strengthen the muscles. A great advantage of such stretching exercises as one ages is that one may remain limber and able to continue active longer.

Finally, there are the recreational sports—tennis, racquetball, softball, skating, and many other activities. The advantage of such activities is that they are more fun than monotonous forms of exercise and therefore may be the element needed to make a person exercise regularly. Depending on how skillfully and how vigorously one pursues them, such activities may or may not provide the sustained level of exertion as do other forms of exercise. Nonetheless, they help condition the body, improve coordination, and enhance flexibility and agility.

With so many forms of exercise to choose from, the secret of success lies in picking one, or a combination of them, that you would enjoy. This will help you to stick to your intentions, since studies show that from 60 to 70 percent of adults who start to exercise quit within a month or so. Remember, it is the regularity, not just the amount, of exercise that matters. By engaging in different kinds of exercise at different times, you will also give your body well-rounded development, becoming fit in a balanced way.

Your choice of activity should also be governed by your age and your general condition of health at the outset. Of course, those with health problems should consult with their doctor before embarking on an exercise program. In any case, start out slowly, and increase as you make progress. Learn about the forms of exercise you choose—there is no shortage of books and instructions on the subject—and you will both enjoy and benefit from your efforts.