Exercise or Physical activity
How many days a week should anyone workout?
Short answer is there is no fixed number. It depends on your goal, physical and mental status, available time, resources, etc.
Remember that exercise is for our own benefit. We should not set same goal for family, friends, community, etc. as everyone has different physical status, goals, availibility of time, food intake, underlying health issues, companionship, etc.
Goals of exercise:
- loose weight
- Build muscles
- Maintain health
- Prevent diseases
- Prevent injuries
Benefits of Exercise:
- Confidence boost
- Feel better
- Sleep better
- Function better
- Reduces anxiety
- Decreases risk of some diseases
- Increases cognitive ability
- Reduces risk of dementia
- Increases chances of long life
- Decreases health care costs
- Improves bone health
- Improves look of the body
- Improves attention and balance
- Brings discipline in life
- Brings flexibility of body
- Increases strength and stamina
Things to watch:
- Eat healthy
- Prevent dehydration
- Prevent rhabdomyolysis
- Check vitals
- Prevent injuries
- Do not forget priorities
- Consistent approach
- Safe environment
- Do it in a right or proper way
- Wear proper clothes and shoes
Injuries from exercise:
- Fractures
- Dislocations
- Muscle sprain
- Inflammation
- Sores
- Rhabdomyolysis
- Dehydration
- Injury from exercise equipments
Aerobic activities:
- Brisk walking
- Dancing
- Biking
- Running, Jogging
- Cross country skiing
- Hiking
- Rowing
- Squat jacks
- Swimming
- Rope jumps
-
Butt kicks
Cardio exercises:
- Jumping jacks
- Rope jump
- Kickboxing
- Jogging
- Swimming
- Climbing stairs
- Burpees
Exercises for increasing muscle mass:
- Lifting weight
- Squats
- Pull ups
- Bench press
- Push ups
- Lungee
- Biceps curl
Plank is mainly for abs, posture, and core strength. There is less stress on wrist in elbow plank, thus useful is cases of wrist injury and arthritis.
Climbing stairs is for cardio vascular health and burning calories. It has aerobic benefits.
People who are prone to fall and have balance issues need extra care. It requires good shoes. Benefits are more if combined with breath control- slow deep breaths.
Warmups:
It is not necessary to do warm-ups before the workout. It has the same benefits as regular exercise. It brings some changes in the body like:
- an increase in body temperature.
- opening up blood vessels/capillaries leading to the release of more oxygen to tissues and picking up more products of metabolism and carbon dioxide.
- Warm muscles contract easily.
- Joint mobilization increases with warm-ups.
- These can reduce the chances of muscle and joint injury during a workout.
- Flexibility increases.
If warm-ups are selected properly, these can help in performing more vigorous exercises. The goal should be to increase the performance without depleting much of the energy stores.
Warm-ups defeat the purpose if not selected according to the planned workout, are too short or too long, are very vigorous, are energy-draining, and if there is a long gap between warm-ups and work out.
Warm-ups can be active (exercises) or passive (e.g. sauna which increases the body temperature from outside). Passive warm-ups do not give muscle contraction and joint mobilization. These just increase the blood flow and help in better oxygen exchange.
Stretching during warm-ups can be static or dynamic. Static stretching involves holding a posture for more than 30 seconds. This can be done either before or after the workout. Dynamic stretching helps in the coming workout and is repeated many times. It is done before the work out but after the warm ups. Warm muscles can stretch better.
Cooling down: It involves gradual regain of pre workout state such as heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature. However, you do not loose the energetic feeling, satisfaction, benefits of workout, etc.
Isometric--more oxygen consumption, more sternuous, more stability, strength, and endurance. Examples- squats, plank, holding yoga posture for long times. Helpful in decreasing BP and in joint pains.
Weight lifting, biceps curl, leg press, push ups, sit ups, pull ups, body weights, free weights (Dumbbell), and gym machines are isotonic. These increase mobility and flexibility. Helpful in Diabetes, osteoporosis, and increasing repetitive movements and flexibility.
Isometric exercises increase strength and endurance by engaging the muscles without movement, while isotonic exercises rely on consistent resistance and a full range of motion to build strength.
Isokinetic exercises use specialized machines to help the body perform certain movements at faster speeds.
Food before and after workout:
Aim to have a snack or mini meal 1 to 3 hours before your workout. You can have tummy troubles if you chow down right before. That’s because more blood goes to your muscles during exercise, leaving less for digestion. After exercise, your body is ready to refuel and rebuild muscle tissue. Eat or drink within an hour of finishing.
Do not drink icecold water after workout. Workout generates heat. Cold drinks will decrease the heat benefits. SImilarly, do not drink cold water during the workout.
Balance is important. Do not start workout if you have no energy (due to fasting). Also, do not do workout if belly is completely full and lethargic. Do not make food jump up and down in the intestine as you do workout.
After the workout, give time to the body to come to normal state and heat energy to dissipate before eating food.
Motivational quotes:
- Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Your body can stand almost anything. It’s your mind that you have to convince.
- Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.
- Your health account, your bank account, they’re the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take out.
- The secret of getting ahead is getting started.
- “We do not stop exercising because we grow old- we grow old because we stop exercising
- What hurts today makes you stronger tomorrow.
- Do not be a slave of clock
- Power is with in us. We are not helpless
Bharti Raizada