Some say jogging is the best exercise because it's vigorous and helps prevent osteoporosis. Others say swimming is the best because it's easy on the joints and uses upper-body as well as lower-body muscles. Some say bicycling is the best because it's a low impact form of exercise yet enjoyable enough that you'll keep doing it. Others say, especially through TV advertising, that NordicTrack®, HealthRider®, or other similar machines are the best because they're low impact, work most of the muscles in the body, and available in the home during inclement weather.
So which is the best form of exercise? Actually all of the
above are excellent forms of exercise if your purpose is to improve overall
health, lose or maintain body fat, and increase cardiovascular fitness. After
all, your heart, lungs, and fat tissue don't know the form of exercise. They
will respond positively to any exercise provided you follow certain guidelines,
as recommended by the
1. Exercise at least three days a week.
2. Exercise for 15 to 60 minutes.
3. Exercise at 60-80% of your maximum heart rate. You can estimate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age (in years) from 220.
4. Exercise using your lower-body muscles continuously and rhythmically.
That's it. If you'll follow these guidelines you can pick virtually any form of exercise. Studies show that if you gradually increase your exercise level over a period of two or three months to give your bones, tendons, and ligaments a chance to strengthen, you normally won't have problems with higher impact exercises. So the best advice is: Pick an exercise that fits your interests and schedule, then follow the ACSM guidelines.
Most of us can’t eliminate the external stressors in our life--those stimuli that can cause psychological and physical stress. After all, we can't just quit our job or resign from our family. Besides, stress in moderation is part of what makes life exciting and interesting. The answer is learning how to handle the stressors in our life. That's stress management.
Here
are a few suggestions to help you get started in a stress management program:
1. Determine your fundamental code of ethics, then live by those ethics. Nothing is more stressful in the long run than living a life in discord with what you feel is right.
2. Determine your fundamental goals and aspirations in life, then pursue them.
3. Decide to be happy. Much of happiness in life is a matter of simply choosing to be happy. Happiness is not the absence of problems in life but learning to accept those problems over which you have no control and working positively to solve those problems over which you do have control.
Call the Wellness hotline, 55-BE FIT, for more information.
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