EXERCISE
This article discusses exercise and its benefits for adults.
The three main types of exercise:
Aerobic exercise — includes walking, running, or swimming, which increase the flow of blood through the heart.
Resistance training — exercise designed to increase muscle strength and includes lifting weights. It's sometimes called anaerobic because the muscles do not get enough oxygen to sustain anaerobic exercise for prolonged periods of time.
Stretching exercise — designed to improve flexibility and prevent injury. Good range of motion in all joints helps to maintain musculoskeletal function, balance, and agility.
BENEFITS OF EXERCISE
●Regular exercise prevents premature death. Exercise also lowers the risk of death in men with coronary artery disease.
●Exercise burns calories and may help to burn calories even while not exercising. Exercise also helps maintain muscle mass while dieting.
●Improves blood sugar control in diabetics and can help prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.
●Aerobic exercise helps decrease blood pressure; this effect may be even greater in people with high blood pressure.
●Exercise improves the blood fats (lipid profile) by decreasing triglyceride levels and raising high-density lipoprotein (good cholesterol) levels.
●Reduces tension, anxiety, and depression.
●Exercise which uses the body's weight to work against gravity, including walking or running, helps to prevent osteoporosis and reduces fractures.
●Exercise training can improve circulation and exercise tolerance for people who have angina (chest pain from a reduced blood supply to the heart).
●Exercise prevents breast and prostate cancer, delays or prevents dementia, and decreases the risk of gallstone disease.
●Helps with quitting smoking.
TESTING BEFORE AN EXERCISE PROGRAM
Most people do not need to do this, but it's best to check with a doctor. People with diabetes or multiple risk factors for heart disease may need an exercise test before starting an exercise program.
GETTING STARTED
If you don't normally exercise, start exercising for a few minutes at a low intensity (eg, walking). This will prevent discomfort, disappointment or disability from muscle pulls and strains.
As physical fitness improves, slowly begin to increase the frequency or time, with a goal of getting at least 30 minutes of exercise, five days each week.
Perform moderate-intensity exercise on most days of the week.
EXERCISE PROGRAM
Warm up — Begin exercise sessions with a 5 to 10-minute period of warm-up with low-level aerobic exercises (walking, stationary cycling, calisthenics), and then stretches and flexibility movements. Warm-up allows for a gradual increase in heart rate and may reduce the risk of injuries.
Workout — Keep the workout fun and interesting by mixing up aerobic exercise, strength training and stretching.
Aerobic exercise — Walking, cycling, stair climbing, and other endurance-type activities. Low-impact activities like swimming are excellent for people with arthritis because they are less likely to cause injury.
To decrease repetitive strain to your muscles and other tissues, vary the exercises you do. For example, swim three days in a week and walk on other days.
A minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (eg, brisk walking) is recommended on five days each week. Alternatively, 20 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise (eg, jogging) on three days each week.
If you are breathless, fatigued and sweating, you have done excellently.
Resistance training — can be done with weights, machines, or exercise bands at least twice a week with at least 48 hours of rest between sessions. Most experts recommend at least one "set" of 8 to 12 "repetitions" of this exercise, for each of the major muscle groups.
●A repetition is a single completed back and forth motion of a resistance exercise, such as bending and extending the arm at the elbow while holding a weight in the hand.
●A set is a number of repetitions done without resting.
Begin with light weights, resistive bands, or even a can of food, to allow the muscles and other tissues to adapt.
Don't perform resistance training if you are in pain or have swelling anywhere.
Stretching — Stretching and flexibility exercises should include every major joint (hip, back, shoulder, knee, upper trunk, neck). Engage in a few minutes of low-intensity aerobic exercise before stretching. Movement into a stretch should be slow, and the stretch itself should be held for approximately 10 to 30 seconds. Don't bounce while beginning or performing a stretch.
Each exercise should be performed several times. The stretch should not cause pain but only mild discomfort.
Cool-down exercises — should be done for approximately five minutes at the end of an exercise session. Cool-down may include slow walking, calisthenics and stretching. This allows the body to clear built up acid in the muscles and allows more blood back into the circulation. This helps to prevent muscle cramps and sudden drops in blood pressure that can cause lightheadedness.
EVALUATING AN EXERCISE PROGRAM
Exercise should fit into the daily schedule (for example, take the stairs instead of the elevator or take a longer route to walk from one place to another), be enjoyable, and feel safe.
However, health problems, changes in job type or hours, and vacations may disrupt your exercise program. Getting back on track can be tough but is an important step in maintaining the benefits of exercise.
WHEN TO SEEK HELP
If any of these problems occur, stop the activity and contact your doctor immediately:
●Pain or pressure in the chest, arms, throat, jaw or back
●Nausea or vomiting during or after exercise
●Palpitations or a sudden burst of a very fast heart rate
●Inability to catch your breath
●Lightheadedness, dizziness or feeling faint during exercise (feeling lightheaded after exercise may mean that a longer cool-down period is needed)
●Feeling very weak or very tired
●Pains in joints, shins, heels or calf muscles (not an emergency but should be evaluated if it doesn't resolve)
PRECAUTIONS
●Drink fluids during and after exercise.
●Don't exercise outdoors if it's too hot or cold.
●Wear supportive, well-fitting running or walking shoes. Replace shoes showing signs of deterioration (eg, cracking, separation of shoe from the sole, imprint of the foot in the insole).
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