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How much exercise do you need?
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Health and fitness for life
How much exercise do I need to maintain my health and fitness?
This depends on your age, your general health and fitness, and how active you've been in the past. Exercise has so many health benefits, and just a little amount of fitness is better then no fitness at all.
The benefits of health with even moderate exercise can not be overstated.
Best of all you can undertake many exercises for free such as walking, running at the park and swimming, all these exercises are great for your cardiovascular system. Remember even free exercise should be undertaken for at least 20 minutes to achive a healthy outcome.
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Health Benefits of regular exercise ?
- Exercise reduces your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis (a bone-thinning disease), diabetes and obesity
- Keeps joints free, tendons and ligaments flexible so it's easier to move around
- Overall fitness can reduces some of the effects of aging
- Contributes to your mental well-being and helps treat depression
- Exercise helps to relieve stress and anxiety
- Increases your health, energy and endurance
- Better health helps you sleep better
- Reduces the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
- Helps you maintain a normal weight by increasing your metabolism (the rate at which you burn calories)
- Best of all, exercise sush as walking and swimming are relatively free
How do I get a healthy start in fitness ?
- Set a fitness goal. When setting a health and fitness goal, know what it is that you want to achieve. whether simply fitting into new jeans or becoming a fitness model, picking a goal and working towards it will help motivate you to stick with your exercise regime. Free your mind and your imagination.
- Start slowly. To reach your health and fitness goal you don't need to start everything at once. When starting on your fitness journey remember to take one step at a time. Nobody expects you to run 100 meters in 10 second when your start out. Instead, start with a simple 20-30 minute walk everyday and as your execise and fitness level increases; begin to challenging yourself and pushing yourself reach the next step. The more exercise you do the quicker your fitness levels will increase and the healthier you will feel and become.
- Pick up a healthy activity. The best form of exercise is an exercise you love to do. If you don't love the exercise that your doing it's going to start feeling like a daily chore or routine. That's why picking an exercise you love is important. If you love basket ball then play basketball, if you love swimming then go swimming.
- Vary your exercise routine. Once you have been on your exercise journey for some time, and you feel your health and fitness level increasing, do not forget to incorporate new exercises and change the way you do some of the older exercises you currently do. New exercises means different muscles are being used and this helps to stop your body plateauing. It will also help you from getting board with your exercises while falling into a routine. You will feel you health and fitness increase while you continue with new exercises.
- Make exercise fun. Not only do you want to find an exercise you love you also want an exercise that is fun. Adding small things like listening to music when you are walking or riding can make that activity more enjoyable, or watching TV when on the treadmill. If the exercise you are doing is fun then it is more likely you will not get bored and you will continue you fitness journey as your health continues to grow.
- What about weight training. You will get some cardio while doing weight training but its main purpose is to build and strengthen your muscles. There are various ways and routines that you can follow to achieve muscle growth and to become stronger. I recommend you talk to a trainer at your local gym for a plan that is suited to your health goals for your current stage in your fitness journey.
- Do fitness together. Exercising with a friend that has the same exercise goals is a great was to keep motivated and make exercising more fun. You will have the encouragement to give it your best, also you can make the exercise a competition to keep yourself accountable.
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