Balancing Your Exercise Routine
Getting regular exercise is an important part of any weight loss plan. As you begin to ease into a new fitness regimen, there are five different types of exercise that you’ll want to include in a balanced routine: aerobic exercise, strength training, stretching, core exercise, and balance training.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise is often referred to as a cardio workout or endurance activity. The goal of aerobic activity is to get you breathing faster and more deeply, which boosts the oxygen levels in your blood. A good cardio routine will get your heart, lungs, and blood vessels pumping more efficiently. Over the course of the week, you should get at least two hours and 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise. Of course, you don’t have to do it all in one day and should, in fact, try to spread it out evenly over the course of the week so you get at least some cardio activity into each day.
Aerobic exercises include: walking, jogging, biking, swimming, water aerobics, step aerobics, jumping jacks, dancing
Strength Training
Strengthening your muscles is important for improved overall health and fitness. Building lean muscle mass increases the amount of calories you burn when at rest and will help you look more toned and shapely as you lose weight. Focus on doing some strength training at least twice a week.
Strength training exercises include: free weights, weight machines, push-ups, abdominal crunches, leg squats
Stretching
Doing aerobic and strength training exercises will make your muscles contract and flex. To achieve a balance, it’s important that you take time to stretch those same muscles. Regular stretching can relieve stress and improve your range of motion and posture. You should also be stretching every time you do any other type of exercise. If you’re not doing other exercises, you should at least stretch three times a week to maintain your flexibility. Before stretching, you’ll want to warm up your muscles with five to ten minutes of low-intensity aerobic activity.
Stretching exercises include: individual muscle stretches or yoga routines
Core Exercises
Your core muscles include the muscles in your abdomen, lower back, and pelvis. These are the muscles that help protect your back, connect upper and lower body movements, and maintain your posture all day. Improving your core stability helps prevent back pain and makes it easier for you to use the muscles in your upper and lower body. Any exercise that uses the body trunk without additional support can be considered a core exercise.
Core exercises include: abdominal crunches and pelvic bridge, quadruped, plank and side plank, and superman (or swimmer) exercises
Balance Training
Balance tends to deteriorate with age, and this increases the risk for falls and serious bone fractures. Being strong, flexible, and fit won’t necessarily make you more stable, so a well-rounded fitness routine should incorporate specific activities for balance training.
Balance training exercises include: standing on one foot, tai chi, heel walk, toe walk
A good fitness routine will incorporate all five of these fitness elements. Not only will you look better, but you’ll feel better and be able to enjoy doing more things with your healthier body.