The
Right Dose Of ExerciseHow much exercise do you need? Some researchers
from Harvard came up with the following: the amount of calories burnt by exercise
should be about 2000 per week. Generally men will achieve that in a shorter time
than women (provided we assume that males have more body weight and more muscle
mass). Another way of determining whether you exercise the right amount is to
know that you should engage in moderate-intensity physical activity of 150
minutes a week or more. Dr. Bryan (Ref. 9) states that you need to engage
in this amount of activity, if you want to "help prevent, treat, or lessen
the symptoms of": Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, asthma, cancer, chronic
fatigue syndrome, diabetes, low back pain, osteoporosis, overweight, insomnia
etc. He goes on to explain that excercise produces nitric oxide (=NO), which relaxes
the arteries, lowers blood pressure and prevents heart attacks and strokes. About
30 minutes of power walking per day will be enough to burn 300 calories. This
does not mean that it is a leisurely stroll. It’s fast, it raises your heart
rate, you may breathe a bit faster, you’ll work up a sweat. It is easy: all
you need is a good pair of walking shoes. You can start at your front door
and you don’t need to make a trip to the gym. You won’t need special clothes
nor an exercise machine. For a number of people it is a lot more fun to walk in
company. Ask a friend or a neighbour. You may be surprised to find out
that a lot of people enjoy a brisk walk, and it keeps you motivated to stick with
your program. With swimming: Move slowly. Water resistance increases exponentially
with speed. Swimming twice as fast requires four times as much energy. So to move
efficiently, all your movements, not just swimming, should be in slow motion.
| Some
common exercises to choose from: | -
Power Walking - Treadmill exercise (a good alternative
in bad weather) - Bicycling, alternatively riding a stationary
exercise bike - Aerobic dancing or simple aerobics -
Ballroom dancing (3 to 5 times per week) - Jogging |
There is simply no excuse for being unable to exercise, unless
you are having severe health problems. If you have a heart
condition like angina or if you have suffered a heart attack, it is imperative
to discuss any fitness problem with your doctor before you embark on it.
There are specialized programs for people with a history of a heart attack,
and they are very beneficial. Being very heavy is often perceived as a barrier
to an exercise program, but remember that even whales are graceful in water. Go
swimming! People who experience joint problems and pain due to arthritis as well
as back pain sufferers will find swimming enjoyable. There is also another aspect
to exercise, whether it is aerobics or swimming. Certain brain hormones
called endorphines are released. The are “feeling good hormones”: people experience
a bit of a natural high and a sense of well being. Pains and aches become less
prominent. Already for this reason it is very desirable for a person with a condition
like arthritis to stay active. You will soon discover which of the aerobic forms
of physical activity works best for you. Whatever it may be, build it into your
day and make sure that those 30 minutes are enjoyable. If a snapshot taken of
you during exercise would be a study of exhaustion and acute suffering, you should
probably review your exercise program. You may do more damage than good. It will
also become increasingly difficult to put up with a source of distress, and after
a while you’ll be ready to throw in the towel. To avoid these pitfalls, gradually
build up your endurance over time. Moderation succeeds, excess
exercise causes harm: You may think, that if 30 minutes of
exercise are good, for sure 60 minutes must be even better. But it does not work
this way: with more intense exercise your body has to cope with the demand. It
is a stress situation, and signals are sent to your brain accordingly. In response
the stress hormone ACTH is released stimulating the adrenal glands to secrete
more cortisol. Elevated cortisol levels are a reason for our bodies to age faster.
In short: you may be a bit fitter, but you are accelerating the ageing process,
which is probably not the goal you had in mind. For this reason it is better to
portion your periods of exercise evenly over the course of the week, so that your
system does not get overworked. The other as important part
of an exercise program are the anaerobic exercises. They are designed
to strengthen your muscles. Weight lifting is one possibility of anaerobic exercise.
In a well equipped gym you have lots of options available. There is one
word of caution. Do not assume that you can start pumping iron like superman.
Start with low weights and ask the fitness instructor for input. It is not only
stress which is counterproductive, you can actually hurt yourself. So start low
and go slow. You do not need access to a gym to do muscle strengthening
exercises. You can acquire a set of dumbbells (5 pound weights would be good for
starting). For upper body strength training push-ups work well. For the lower
part of your body knee-bends (squats) are OK. |
