Items Tagged With Fitness

Evaluate yourself

Before increasing your activity, evaluate where you are now. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Is physical activity safe for me? For some people, some forms of physical activity might be unsafe or should only be started after talking with a health professional. If you have any concerns, talk to your health professional before beginning any exercise or fitness program.
• What barriers do I need to overcome? You may have barriers in your life that make starting a fitness program difficult. These may be a lack of time, someone to exercise with, or fear of hurting yourself.

Pick an activity

Pick an activity and prepare for it. The following points will help you do this.

• Ask yourself questions to discover your physical activity preferences and attitudes.
• Pick an activity that you enjoy or think you might enjoy. You're more likely to keep doing something you like.
• Be sure you have the correct clothing and gear.
• Learn about fitness machines you may use (such as a treadmill or stair-climber) and how to buy fitness equipment.
• Learn the proper way to do your activity and be aware of any safety concerns.

To find out how many calories are burned during various activities, use this Interactive Tool: How Many Calories Did You Burn?

Remember that it is best to achieve fitness in all three areas-flexibility, aerobic fitness, and muscle strength and endurance. As you meet your goals for one area, think about beginning or expanding your fitness program for another area. It is useful and easy to make flexibility part of your aerobic and muscle-strengthening routine.

Set goals

Goals help provide the motivation you need to start and continue regular physical activity.

• Set a 1-month goal you can reach. For example, plan to walk for 10 minutes at lunch 3 days a week or to stretch for 5 minutes each morning. Avoid setting goals that compare yourself with someone else; when you are just starting out, comparisons with others can be disappointing or can cause you to try to rush your progress. Make sure your goal is specific and realistic.
• Keep a record of what you do. Circle the days on a calendar when you get a little extra physical activity. If you want a clearer record, use a notebook to write down your moderate physical activity every day, including informal things like walking an extra block to work or a game of soccer in the yard with your kids. Occasionally read entries from months ago to see your progress.
• Reward yourself. When you meet your goal, celebrate your accomplishment and give yourself a reward.

Motivate

People often cite problems with motivation as the main reason they aren't more active. Following are suggestions that may help:

• Know why you want to get fit. It is difficult to start or continue with a fitness program if you don't really know why you are getting fit. Review your reasons for doing so.
• Have a partner. An exercise partner can keep you going just by expecting you to show up. He or she can also motivate you by watching your progress, discussing your training schedule with you, or socializing after exercise. Pick someone who is at about the same level of fitness as you. Exercising with someone who is much further along than you are can be discouraging, while someone who is at a much lower level of fitness can cause you to fall back or fail to improve. Changing or adding exercise partners can sometimes renew your motivation as well.

As you become more active, be aware of:

• The relationship between diet and activity, including vitamins and minerals.
• How to avoid common mistakes, such as doing too much too soon or investing in equipment before you know the activity is right for you.
• How too much weight loss can be dangerous.

When you have determined that you want to become fit, you will want to establish a fitness routine. Although most people think of classes and specific activities (such as jogging or tennis) as the way to fitness, there are many ways you can work physical activity into your life.

Structured fitness

Fitness classes or groups provide a consistent approach to an activity. Local gyms, schools, and churches may sponsor a regular fitness group. Teams also provide a consistent approach to fitness but are more competitive. Many communities have intervention programs to help adults and children become fit. They often are found within social agencies and schools.

Structured fitness has the advantage of:

• Being held at the same time and place, which is easier for you to schedule.
• Having a social atmosphere.
• "Healthy" peer pressure to show up and participate.

Self-directed fitness

Many people find an activity they enjoy and create their own fitness program. For it to be effective, you must set up a regular schedule and stick to it. Self-directed fitness gives you:

• Flexibility as to the time and place.
• The ability to try different types of exercises.

Fitness within your day

You can use "everyday" activities for fitness, as long as you do them regularly. This includes:

• Daily aerobic activity, such as raking leaves, mowing the lawn, or doing housework.
• Physical activity in the workplace, such as using stairs instead of elevators.
• Muscle-conditioning exercises, such as scrubbing the bathtub, washing walls, tilling the garden, or pulling weeds.
• An outdoor interest that promotes walking or another type of exercise. For example, bird watching may involve considerable walking, and trail building may involve both walking and strength to clear paths.

Children and older adults

Children and older adults can also benefit from being fit.

• Physical activity for children
• Physical activity for people age 65 and older

Flexibility is the ability to move joints and muscles through their full range of motion. As you become more flexible, you will find it easier to reach things on high shelves, to look under a bed, or perhaps to tie your shoes. You will also have a better sense of balance and coordination.

To stay flexible, stretch all your major groups of muscles. These include the muscles of your arms, back, hips, front and back of your thighs, and calves. Try to stretch for 10 to 12 minutes a day, after a brief warm-up. Do some stretches first thing in the morning, take a stretch break instead of a coffee break, or stretch in the office for a few minutes. Or participate in activities that include stretching, such as dance, martial arts (aikido or karate), tai chi, or yoga.

Stretching also can be done as part of strength training and aerobic exercise. When you exercise, you repeatedly shorten your muscles. To counter this effect, you need to stretch slowly and regularly, which makes you more flexible. Combining it with other forms of fitness is an ideal way to practice flexibility fitness.

When getting started with flexibility and stretching, begin slowly and increase your efforts gradually. You can measure your progress with flexibility by noticing how much farther you can do each stretch. Can you go farther with each stretch than you could when you started? If so, your flexibility is improving.