• Walking

• Jogging

• Hiking

Indoor

• Exercise shows on television

• Exercise video tapes

• Calisthenics

• Jumping rope

• Dancing

• Stair climbing

Sports

• Soccer

• Basketball

The key is to do something! Doing anything is better than nothing!

Locating the Time for Exercise

• Find the time – for one week write down where you spend your time, you should be able to find points that may be changed to free a bit of time everyday.

• Begin by increasing your daily activity – walk to the post office or store, take the baby or the dog for a walk, take a walk up and down the stairs for that coffee break, walk on your lunch break, when you sit most of the day get out of your chair every 20 minutes and move around the office, garden.

• Schedule an appointment to train – people who workout in the morning are often more likely to stick to their programs because work and family obligations are less likely to interfere, schedule a time that works best for you and stick to it!

• Exercise while waiting – for the kids to complete their piano lesson, soccer practice etc.

• Consider buying home exercise equipment – prior to deciding to invest make sure you’ll use it. Durable equipment is not inexpensive!

• Make sure to take turns giving your meaningful other or friend a break to exercise – by watching the children or sitting with a family member that cannot be left alone.

• Make exercise a high priority – if getting in shape is your goal you must make exercise a priority to reach that goal.

For a comprehensive resource, see “Physical Activity and Health – A Report of the Surgeon General.”

Health Benefits of Exercise and Exercise

• Lower the risk of premature death

• Lower the risk of developing and/or dying from heart disease

• Decrease high blood pressure or the risk of developing high blood pressure

• Decrease high cholesterol or the risk of developing high cholesterol

• Reduce the risk of developing colon cancer and breast cancer

• Decrease the risk of developing diabetes

• Lower or maintain body weight or body fat

• Build and maintain healthy muscles, bones, and joints

• Reduce depression and anxiety

• Improve psychological well-being

• Enhanced work, recreation, and sport performance

Links to other Health Organizations

The American Cancer Society

The American Heart Association

The American Diabetes Association

National Institutes of Health

Advantages of Aerobic Activity

• Increased maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max)

• Improvement in cardivascular/cardiorespiratory function (heart and lungs)

o Increased maximal cardiac output (amount of blood pumped every minute)

o Increased maximal stroke volume (amount of blood pumped with each beat)

o Increased blood volume and ability to carry oxygen

o Lowered workload on the heart (myocardial oxygen consumption) for any given submaximal exercise intensity

• Increased blood supply to muscles and ability to use oxygen

• Lower heart rate and blood pressure (BP) at any level of submaximal exercise

• Increased threshold for lactic acid accumulation

• Lower resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) in people with high blood pressure (BP)

• Increased HDL Cholesterol (the good cholesterol)

• Reduced blood triglycerides

• Lowered body fat and improved weight control

• Improved glucose tolerance and reduced insulin resistance

Advantages of Weight Training

• Increased muscular strength

• Increased strength of tendons and ligaments

• Potentially improves flexibility (range of motion of joints)

• Reduced body fat and increased lean body mass (muscle mass)

• Potentially decreases resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure

• Positive changes in blood cholesterol

• Improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity

• Improved strength, balance, and functional ability in older adults

Below are frequently asked questions that people looking for fitness trainers often ask. Ask yourself these questions to determine if your fitness trainer is the best for you.

Is the trainer within your budget?

You can expect to pay between $20 and $100 an hour for your fitness trainer. A few trainers will offer decreased package rates when you purchase more than one session.

Is your trainer available when you intend to work out?

Be sure that the trainer can accommodate your schedule.

Does the personal trainer have a certification, degree, or background in a related medical or exercise science field?

A certification or degree will assure that your trainer has the ability to construct a fitness program that will fit your needs.

Make certain the certification is a national recognized organization (ACSM, NSCA, ACE, AFAA, IDEA, etc.). Every person’s workout program ought to be different to accommodate different needs.

Does your fitness trainer have a current certification in CPR and First Aid?

Safety during your exercise program is very important. the trainer needs to have the knowledge to assist in an emergency.

Does your trainer or facility require a health screening or release from your doctor before starting your exercise program?

If you’ve special needs during your fitness program that are results of a past injury or medical problem, a specialist trainer will discuss any exercise considerations with the doctor.

How does the fitness trainer interact with their clients during the workout session?

An interested trainer will use hands on help, such as touching the bicep during a bicep curl as you concentrate on that muscle during the exercise.

When you are uncomfortable with hands on help, they need to provide encouragement and motivation.

You probably will not want to pay $100 an hour for your fitness trainer to only count your repetitions during the fitness session.

Demand more for your money.

Are you comfortable with your trainer’s gender?

A number of people like working with a personal trainer of the same sex, and others prefer the opposite sex.

Do you feel that you’ll get along with the trainer?

So that you can have the best working relationship, you ought to be sure that you lie your fitness trainers personality.

The two personalities should click. Carefully interview the trainer to see what approach he or she’d have with you.

Is your personal trainer willing to design a fitness program that you understand?

You should always know why you’re doing a certain exercise. Your fitness program should be developed so that you can participate in the fitness program without your trainer at all times.

Does your fitness trainer exhibit good listening skills and communicate well?

You want your trainer to be able to address your need. If the trainer doesn’t communicate effectively, you won’t know what to do during the fitness session.

A professional trainer will never make you feel uncomfortable to ask questions.

Does your fitness trainer address your objectives or expectations?

In the starting of your workout program, he/she should sit down with you to address why you want to start a workout program, what you expect to get out of the workout program, and your objectives that you want to achieve during the workout program.

Does your personal trainer provide you with clear cancellation policies and billing procedures?

Before starting, make sure you understand all policies attached to your fitness program.

In order to start your workout program safely and effectively, answer the following questions to the best of your knowledge, and follow the directions at the end of this section.

If you’re unsure of any answer, it’s recommended that you see a physician to accurately determine the safety of beginning an fitness program.

If have been told by a physician that you have any cardiovascular illness, pulmonary illness, or metabolic illness like diabetes, obtain permission from your physician before starting or changing your workout program.

1. Are you a man over 45 years old?

2. Are you a female over the age of 55? Or, are you less than 55 years old and past menopause, but not taking estrogen?

3. Has any male member of your family died of a heart attack before age 55? Or, has any female member of your family died of a heart attack before age 65?

4. Do you use cigarettes or tobacco products?

5. Has a physician ever told you have high blood pressure? Or, has your blood pressure been measured more than once at greater than 140 over 90? Or, do you take high blood pressure medicine?

6. Has your physician ever told you that you have high cholesterol? Or, do you know when your sum cholesterol is greater than 200? Or, is your HDL cholesterol less than 35?

7. Do you consider yourself physically inactive at work and during your leisure time?

When you replied “yes” to more than one of these questions it is advised that you see a doctor before pursuing a vigorous exercise program. Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), 5th Edition, 1995.

This condition, technically referred to as exercise-related transient abdominal pain, is often associated with a muscle spasm in the diaphragm.

A few research indicates that the amount of food eaten prior to exercising may influence the occurrence of side-stitches.

Side-stitches can occur with any kind of exercise, but seem to be most widely associated with jogging and running.

Some of the following tips may to help lower the frequency at which side-stitches occur

• Delaying exercise or activity for a longer period after eating, if your side stitches occur when you exercise after eating.

• Sticking to long, low intensity workouts, in lieu of quick, high intensity ones.

• Warming-up and slowly and gradually picking up workout pace might help prevent side stitches, regardless of exercise intensity

• Building stretches of speed intervals into your workout in order to strengthen your abdominal muscles and diaphragm. Some believe weak abdominals and diaphragms cause side stitches so making them stronger may help to prevent side stitch occurrences.

• Continuing to workout at an even pace; some researchers found that people with better aerobic fitness tend to get fewer side-stitches. Thus, the more you build up your endurance and cardiovascular fitness, the less likely you’re to wind up with a side-stitch.

• Avoiding shallow breathing; instead taking slow, deep breaths during exercise.

If these prevention strategies fail to help, and you do get a side-stitch, slowing down and breathing deeply is one way to alleviate the pain.

Two other things you can try are – (1) bending over while tightening your stomach muscles several times; and, (2) applying pressure to the area with your fingers, giving yourself a sort of “pressure massage” where the pain is.

For this, attempt pushing your fingers deeply into your stomach in a spot just below your right ribs, while pursing your lips and exhaling as hard as you can.

Simply grunting loudly while breathing out might also help, as could slowing down until the pain is gone.

Occasionally, side stitches might come from an allergy or intolerance to wheat or dairy products. Side stitches may occur up to 24 hours after eating or drinking something that contains this product.

To see if this applies to you, you might want to keep record of your meals, snacks and physical activities and see if your side stitches occur after eating a specific food or food group.

Side stitches may also be mistaken for pain in the heart caused by lack of oxygen.

When the pain comes from under the breastbone, or radiates down your left arm, makes you out of breath and comes from exercise or strenuous physical activity, your best bet would be to see a healthcare provider as soon as possible.

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Muscle soreness can occur with whoever who exercises, from a beginning exerciser embarking on a new program to a conditioned veteran who’s working at a greater intensity, frequency, and/or duration than he / she is used to.

It frequently happens to well-trained individuals as they start a new activity.

Muscle soreness might also be a result of overuse, which could eventually lead to injury. It’s important to listen to your body and seek treatment for injuries.

Meeting objectives in terms of developing strength or endurance needs to be the focus of any workout program. Well-defined objectives guide results that you’re able to attain through gradual behavior change.

Examples – I want to be able to do 20 push-ups; I want to be able to run a 10K by the end of the year, etc. Goals are specific and measurable and may be useful in guiding any exercise program.

Soreness may be a consequence of working toward a training goal, but should not be a goal in and of itself.

Your development and achievement ought to be the trainer’s first concern.

A few trainers feel the way a client looks or how much she / he can lift is a direct reflection of her or his ability. Does it make sense for you to have a conversation with your trainer about your concerns?

You may want to reference Selecting and Effectively Using a Fitness Trainer, created by the American College of Sports Medicine.

After an aerobic activity session, you should feel invigorated, not totally wiped out.

Your description sounds as though you’re working extraordinarily hard.

Do you eat anything before your exercise? Are you drinking during your run or bicycle ride? How is your overall fluid intake?

Although an precise diagnosis based on your description cannot be given here, these few suggestions might help avoid these feelings

• Make sure to eat a snack prior to exercise. When you’ve less than one hour before your session, fewer than 200 calories is advised. A piece of fruit and a couple of crackers work well for lots of people .

Your snack can be a bit larger when you have two hours or so until your workout starts – one small plain bagel with jam, a piece of fruit and a yogurt, or two or three fig bars and a cup of milk or juice.

• Drink 16 oz. of fluid 2 hours before an event. This promotes hydration and authorizes enough time to excrete any excess liquid.

• Drink fluids during exercise. Weighing yourself before and after exercise can help determine your sweat rate, and how much you will need to drink.

o When you lose 1 lb. per hour – drink 4 oz. every 15 min

o If you lose 2 lbs. per hour – drink 8 oz. every 15 min

o If you lose 3 lbs. per hour – drink 8 oz. every 10 min.

o When you lose 4 lbs. per hour – drink 10 oz. every 10 min.

• When you’re exercising for longer than 60 minutes, add some fuel to your water with a sports drink.

These fluid replacement drinks include glucose and electrolytes (sodium and potassium) to help with fluid intake and absorption.

Talking with your health care provider is a good idea if these strategies do not help.

Being properly fed and hydrated, in addition to getting enough rest and watching your breathing as your exercise, should help make your workouts more productive.

Because of this, your Achilles tendon is put under a lot of pressure. the Achilles tendon handles forces that range from two to three times the body weight in walking, to four to six times the body weight in running and jumping.

When it is overused, or when you continue to use it when it is injured, inflammation of the Achilles tendon could lead to local degeneration and recurrent injury, which may result in a partial, or even a complete, rupture. It was very wise of you to take a break before slowly resuming exercise.

As you get back into an exercise routine, be sure that you follow up with your health care provider and/or a physical therapist to be sure that you are not doing any more damage to your Achilles tendon.

Stretching and strengthening exercises can definitely play a role in taking care of your body.

Do not forget that all stretching must be slow and static and that you ought to listen to your body – feel your muscles stretching, but stop if you feel pain.

Specific to the Achilles tendon and surrounding muscles, consider the following  

Stretch #1 – Calf Stretch

1. Stand about a foot from a wall, extend one leg behind you, keeping both feet flat on the floor, toes pointed straight ahead, and your rear knee straight and your front knee bent.

2. Move your hips forward, keeping your lower back flat.

3. Lean into the wall until you feel tension in the calf muscle of the extended leg.

4. Hold for 10 seconds, then stretch the other leg.

5. Repeat at least two more times.

Stretch #2 – Calf Stretch

1. Stand arm’s-length distance from a wall (or tree, or lamppost – no matter what is handy and gives you support).

2. Make sure to put your hands on the wall, keep your back and your legs straight, and be sure your heels are flat on the floor.

3. Bend your arms and lean forward, trying to touch your chest to the wall.

4. Feel the stretch in the calf muscles.

5. Hold it for a few seconds.

6. Relax and repeat at least two more times.

Stretch #3 – Achilles Tendon Stretch

1. Stand with one leg in front of you, slightly bent, and the other leg extended back.

2. Lower your hips downward as you slightly bend the knee of the extended leg.

3. Be sure to keep both heels flat on the floor and toes straight ahead.

4. Hold the stretch for 10 seconds, and then stretch the other leg.

5. Repeat at least two more times.

Note – This Achilles tendon stretch requires only a slight feeling of tension at the back of your ankle.

Also, make certain that you don’t bounce, and that you stretch gently and completely.

Besides jogging and running, the Achilles tendon can be injured from any activity that has an impact component.

To help prevent injury to the Achilles tendon, consider exercises that put less stress on the Achilles tendon, like bike riding and swimming.

Also, abnormal pronation and muscle imbalances can be a problem for a recurring inflammation of the Achilles tendon.

If you decide to get back into running, you need to have a physical therapist take a look at your running footwear to make certain they aren’t causing additional stress on your Achilles tendon and calf muscles.

Make certain that you always wear running footwear that aren’t worn out, and attempt to avoid uneven or hard running surfaces.

You might want to run on soft surfaces, such as running tracks, or soft trails without holes or ditches.

Factors that contribute to cramping include dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, overexertion, and/or inadequate fitness/conditioning.

Is it possible that the sort of exercise you are doing is a cause? Think about your exercise routine and examine your patterns.

Are you doing specific exercises that stretch the muscles in the buttocks? When so, how often and for how long do you participate in these exercises?

Could you change your regimens to see when it is the type or amount of exercise that can be causing your muscle distress? You may also attempt adding stretching routines before and after you exercise.

It is fascinating that your nighttime calf cramps disappeared when you introduced a sports drink as a post workout strategy.

That could lend a possible explanation – perhaps you are dehydrated and/or have an electrolyte imbalance, especially of sodium, potassium, and calcium.

A low sodium consuming plan, coupled with high perspiration losses or with persistent vomiting/diarrhea, can deplete your body of sodium.

Potassium deficiency isn’t likely to be the result of sweat loss; nonetheless, the result of both a sodium and potassium deficiency may be muscle cramping.

A number of sports nutritionists will also cite a lack of calcium as a contributor to cramping.

Another approach might be to experiment with your eating plan – perhaps increase your salt (pretzels, olives, nuts, salami), potassium (bananas, oatmeal, potatoes), and calcium (milk, yogurt, fortified orange juice) intake to see if you notice any changes.

Additionally attempt to stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water, namely in the hours leading up to a workout.

An easy way to check hydration is to notice the color of your urine. Clear, light urine reveals a more hydrated body than dark, orange urine. .

If these suggestions do not work, your condition gets worse, or it’s severe enough to interfere with your daily life, it’s probably time to consult your health care provider.