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Exercise Guidelines
Beginning
Preparation
The American Heart Association recommends that before embarking on a serious exercise program, you consult a physician if you:
Start Out Slow
Starting too fast result in severe muscle soreness and stiffness and possible serious injury. Take it easy and build up endurance later. Most important, make it enjoyable and safe. Many love to use a CD player (or ipod) with earphones and enjoy the stimulation of music you like. (Rotate the music, so the selections are fresh and invigorating!)
You’re Never Too Old
Of course, starting earlier in life is better, however scientific studies have found that inactive people in their 90s can safely exercise and make improvements. Consult with senior centers or go online to learn programs suitable to your situation.
Begin With Aerobics
Start with walking, biking, swimming, dancing, treadmill, elliptical trainer, etc.
Always Include Warm Up and Cool Down Routines
Swinging the arms, gentle stretching, etc. Do not begin by doing challenging stretches; do not bounce up and down (you could tear a cold muscle). Ease into activity and gradually get your heart pumping and blood flowing. Cool down by slowly walking until your heart rate is just 10-to-15 beats above resting rate.
Increase Gradually
Progress in safe increments. You’ve got plenty of time, so follow a gentle increase in pace or intensity. A safe rule of thumb is to increase in 10% increments.
Be Consistent
Don’t take the attitude that a grueling weekend workout makes up for nothing during the week. You risk injury and will not receive the same benefits by exercising regularly.
Try To Keep The Same Schedule
Exercising at the same time, or same days makes it easier to be consistent. Once you establish a consistent rhythm, then slowly increase the intensity.
When You’re Feeling Bad or Drained, Ease Up
Pushing yourself when you’ve got a cold or just feel weak and lethargic can be counterproductive. Here’s a guideline, if you feel up to doing half your normal routine, that’s okay. However, if you feel terrible after starting, hang it up and get some rest, which is what you really need.
Forget About Losing Weight Right Away
If you obsess about weight loss, exercise will become frustrating because you might now lose weight right away. Sometimes exercise initially makes you hungry and you gain a couple of pounds. That’s because your body is adding the muscle in needs to perform the workout routine. What you need at first is to build is a foundation of fitness that will eventually enable you to lose weight and keep it off.
Home or Gym
Maybe the gym is too expensive, too intimidating, or inconvenient. Some love gyms, others don’t. Working out at home or in the park can be just as beneficial. Some people thrive with workout buddies. Choose the style you prefer.
Reward Your Success
Occasionally, it’s good to be indulgent and reward yourself, especially in the beginning. The most important mission is to first establish a consistent workout routine, later you’ll focus on losing weight.
Keep The Enjoyment Level Up
After a month or so, maybe you’ll buy a new workout outfit, new music, or change around your routine.
Intermediate
Never Eat Before Vigorous Exercise
It causes indigestion and uses the blood for digesting food instead of the blood going to your muscles.
Drink Enough Fluids
Dehydration lowers your energy level and your workout benefits and causes muscle cramps. Watch professional athletes, they guzzle down liquids. Use a sports drink during your workout (and after) only if you’re going to go an hour or more.
For Weight Loss
For general health, research indicates that walking briskly for three or more hours a week reduces the risk for coronary heart disease by 65%. However, people who seek to lose weight should aim for six to seven aerobic workouts a week. This consistent aerobic stimulation adjusts your metabolic set point to burn fuel (the food you consume) faster. And if you’re running more, make sure you wear good shoes to avoid foot problems.
For Extra Weight Loss, Add Strength Training
Strength training increases strength, tone, mass and muscular endurance. While aerobic exercise provides important bodily changes to induce weight loss, strength training adds a different level of changes that greatly enhance the body’s capacity to lose weight. See Benefits of Strength Training for details.
Beginning Strength Training
People usually perform strength training with either strengthening machines (at the gym) or through the use of free weights (dumbbells, barbells, etc.). Strength training involves intense, short-duration exertion of performing movements against a resisting force (repetitions) for a set number of times. Select a weight that’s half of what would require your maximum effort for one repetition. Usually, one begins with 8-12 repetitions of a weight (or resistance) per muscle group. For beginners, adding 10 to 20 minutes of light strength training, two to three times a week is a safe plan.
Performing Repetitions
The form of your motion is very important so as to exercise the correct muscles and to prevent injury. Remember, weight training is concentrated exercise that can be very beneficial or very harmful. If needed, consult with gym trainers or exercise videotapes and DVDs. As you perform the repetition, breathe slowly and rhythmically (taking in a lot of oxygen helps the muscles to perform better).
Good Form
For strength training, form is very important. Begin with lighter weights so you can develop the correct form. An experienced spotter or trainer who knows good form is helpful for the first month or so. Never sacrifice form for heavier weight.
Moving Forward
As your body adapts to performing the repetitions, you increase the weight gradually over time. If you’ve been performing dumbbell curls with 10 pounds for 12 reps (repetitions), then you would progress to 15 pounds for 6 reps. Then increase to 8 or 10 reps. When you reach 12 reps, you increase the weight another five pounds and begin with 6 reps.
Adding Sets
Instead of increasing the weight and building more bulky muscles, it is advisable at some point to add an additional set of reps without increasing the poundage. The increase in sets develops more compact and defined muscles that are more attractive. Remember, two pounds of muscle take up less space than two pounds of fat. Initially, three sets are advisable, later, if more muscle is desired, 4 or 5 sets may be needed.
Strength Training Requires Recovery Time
Usually one allows 48 hours between muscle workouts. This means working the arms, legs, etc. every other day. You can work the arms one day, and the legs the next day. If muscles are stiff and sore from previous workout, skip working them until they return to normal.
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Sources: American College of Sports Medicine and American Heart Association Physical Activity and Public Health: Updated Recommendation for Adults Circulation 2007 116;1081-1093
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