There is simply no doubt that, exercise is good for all of us. But the fact still remains that number of women start and stop exercising as often as they start and stop the engines of their car or buy an expensive piece of fitness equipment leaving it to catch dust in the storage. The key to a successful fitness program lies in the aspect that exercise should be fun, something you look forward to and besides it should be social.
The word ‘exercise’ seems to create negative images for a lot of women, especially incase of those who are obese or severely obese. One way of managing this is to think in terms of ‘activities’ rather than ‘exercise.'” Start by turning simple daily activities into something more beneficial. Simple changes such as vacuuming more vigorously, taking a brisk walk during your lunch break or doing arm curls with a can of soup will increase blood flow and strengthen muscles.
Setting goals too high, too fast may be discouraging and make the goals unattainable. By setting achievable and realistic goals and increasing activity in small increments, you are more likely to stay with a program.
Benefits of Increasing Daily Activities
- Stronger bones & muscles.
- Improved self esteem.
- Managing healthy body weight.
- Improved blood pressure & cholesterol level.
- Considerable reduction in stress, anxiety and depression.
- Elevated mood.
- Improved body image with a positive sense of well-being.
At other times women often make the mistake of overworking one area of the body and under-working another, which can create an imbalance that leads to problems related to bones, muscles and joints. Optimal benefits are achieved by participating in aerobic (heart strengthening) exercise three to five days a week for not less than 30 minutes and anaerobic (muscle and bone strengthening) exercise two to three days a week. Besides every fitness program should take in the aspect of proper stretching in all directions- not just forward.
By starting slowly, taking pride in successes, scheduling exercise into the day and remembering to include good nutrition in the overall plan, most women can develop a program that works for them. Remember that, every time the your heart pumps a little faster, blood flows a little faster and muscles stretch a little further, health improves. With movement, comes health benefit.
