Tips for better health through exercise and fitness
(Conclusion)
Wellness means much more than just the absence of sickness. It is a way of living that emphasizes such preventive measures as eating a healthy diet, making exercise an enjoyable part of your life, and making self-care decisions that will improve your health and well-being. The premise of wellness is that you can live a long, healthy, and active life. All you need is the desire to do so — and the right information on which to base your actions. In the past two weeks, we have been providing you with information on proper food and nutrition, and self-care health issues. Today’s column is the last of this trilogy, and it aims to provide you with useful tips on the correct way to exercise to achieve fitness and improve your health. Here are useful tips for better health through exercise and fitness.
45. Be active. As many as 12 percent of all deaths may be attributed indirectly to lack of regular physical activity. Statistics show that about 80 percent of Filipinos do not engage in regular exercises and that morbidity and mortality caused by the so-called lifestyle diseases have been increasing through the years in the
46. To get the most from your aerobic exercises, figure out your target heart rate. The easy way to compute this is to subtract your age from 220 — that’s your maximum heart rate (MHR) — and then multiply that figure by 60 percent and 80 percent. For example, if you’re 40, your MHR is 200 minus 40, or 180. Then multiply 180 by 0.6 (for the low end) and by 0.8 (for the high end), which gives a range of 108 to 144. Then take your pulse while exercising. Your heart rate per minute should fall somewhere between these two numbers.
47. Warm up before stretching. Stretching cold muscles can injure them. Warming up — by jogging in place for five to 10 minutes, for instance — prepares you for exercise by gradually increasing your heart rate and blood flow, raising the temperature of muscles, and improving muscle function. It may also decrease the chance of sports injury.
48. Run away from diabetes. Doctors have long recommended exercise as a way to help control diabetes. And recent studies offer strong direct evidence that physical activity may actually help prevent type 2 diabetes.
49. Exercise against aging. Regular exercise inhibits or even reverses many of the declines commonly associated with aging. A long-term regimen of three to five brisk 30-minute walks each week, for instance, may not only add years to your life but also life to your years.
50. If you play golf, you can reap rewards by walking instead of riding a cart. And if you carry your bag, you’ll get an even more strenuous workout. Playing an 18-hole course, you cover about five miles and burn an estimated 500 calories.
51. If you’re over 45 (over 35 if you’re at high risk for heart disease) and are beginning a program of aerobic exercise, see your doctor first for a checkup. If you have been sedentary, you will need to begin slowly. Aerobic exercises include running, brisk walking, cycling, swimming, and others. These workouts strengthen your heart and the circulatory system. Try to do this three times a week for at least 20 minutes.
52. Drink, drink, drink. You can easily sweat away more than a quart of water during an hour of strenuous exercise, especially in hot weather. Dehydration can impair your performance, causing lethargy, nausea, and cramps, or even heat exhaustion. For optimal hydration during strenuous endurance exercise, drink at least 16 to 20 ounces of fluid two hours before exercising and another eight ounces 15 to 30 minutes after. While exercising, sip 4 to 6 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes. After exercising, replace the fluid you’ve sweated off. Weigh yourself before and after your workout; drink one pint for each pound lost.
53. Make your own sports drink. For most exercisers, water is an ideal fluid replacement. But during strenuous endurance events lasting more than an hour, slightly sugared beverages may help your body conserve its carbohydrate stores. Maintain normal blood sugar levels, and thus delay fatigue. Special sports drinks supply the optimal amount of carbohydrates — four to eight-percent concentration — for endurance exercise, plus small amounts of sodium and potassium. But, in fact, these drinks are nutritionally similar to diluted juice or soft drink.
54. For a better walking workout on the treadmill, swing your arms. That way, your movement is similar to cross-country skiing, one of the best calorie-burners around. One study found that treadmill walkers, by adding vigorous arm motion, could boost their caloric expenditures by about 50 percent — from 10 calories per minute to 15. This will also improve upper-body strength.
55. When exercising, use the “talk test” to make sure you aren’t working out too strenuously. If you can just respond to conversation, your exercise intensity is just about right. If you can’t talk, slow down. This test can be as accurate as heart monitors in gauging exercise intensity.
56. For the best sit-ups, keep your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, and come up to no more than a 30° angle. Skip those old-fashioned straight leg full sit-ups; these can make you overarch and thus strain your lower back.
57. Exercise to help maintain a healthy blood pressure level. People with high blood pressure are generally advised to do aerobic exercise and strength training with light weights. If you have high blood pressure, check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program. Be careful if you lift heavy weights or do isometric exercise — such as pushing against a wall or pressing your arms together to build strength. Keep intensity light to moderate, and rest between the brief bouts.
58. If you can’t keep up your normal exercise routine, try to work out at least once a week to prevent “detraining.” Studies show that exercising just one day a week can help people maintain their gains.
59. Always ice an acute injury immediately. Continue icing for 20 minutes several times during the first 24-48 hours. Applying heat can increase inflammation if done within the first day or two.
60. When using a stationary bike or treadmill, set up a fan to blow directly on you as you exercise. The air blowing on your skin will cool you even faster than air-conditioning. A lack of air flow is one reason why a workout on an indoor cycle can be so much more tiring than the same amount of cycling outdoors. Even in the hottest weather. The evaporation of sweat provides the most important cooling mechanism for your body — and this process is helped considerably if you have dry air flowing on your skin and around your body.
61. Always wear a helmet when cycling. Of the 800 annual cycling deaths in the
62. Try high-tech athletic socks made of a variety of new synthetic materials, such as high-bulk orlon (acrylic) and polypropylene. They are better at protecting your feet from friction, absorbing perspiration, and providing cushioning.
63. Don’t “run through” pain. If you feel pain (beyond mild discomfort) when exercising, stop. People often ignore pain or delay treating it, thus aggravating the problem, delaying the healing of an injury.
64. Take the stairs. Several work-site studies have found that people who simply began using staircases (instead of elevators and escalators) improved their overall physical fitness by 10 to 15 percent.
65. Exercise to improve your mood. Many people experience an uplift in mood after a run, a swim, or a brisk walk, and numerous studies support this salutary psychological effect. Moderate aerobic exercise, such as running or swimming, tends to be the most effective. In addition, being tired may actually be caused, at least in part, by lack of exercise — what the experts call “sedentary inertia” or “exercise deficiency” — in which case, exercise is the best antidote.
66. Don’t worry that exercise will increase your appetite. Most people who work out moderately eat about the same as they would if they didn’t exercise — or just slightly more. By exercising regularly, you’re likely to become trimmer and fitter even if your weight stays the same, since you’ll be building muscle and burning body fat.
