Health & Fitness And Exercise Biography
Source Google.com.pk
There’s no right time to exercise. It depends on the individual. “You need to listen to your body,” says Robin. “Some people feel rough in the morning, whereas others can hop out of bed and do a 10 mile run.”
Don't exercise for two to three hours after a heavy meal. If you exercise straight after a large meal, you're likely to experience nausea, stomach cramps and discomfort.
Can I have a snack before exercising?
You can have a small snack before your workout, such as a piece of fruit or a drink. Robin advises against snacks that are high in sugar, including soft drinks.
“You might get a quick energy boost but it’ll probably be followed by a sudden energy slump.” Choose starchy foods, such as brown bread or bananas, which help keep your energy levels constant during exercise.
Find out more about food for sport.
Should I warm up before exercise?
Warming up is essential before exercising. “Without a warm-up, your workout won't be as efficient as it could be,” says Robin. “Your muscles won't be warm and will be less supple, which can increase your risk of injury.”
Start with slow, gentle movements, such as walking, and gradually build the intensity, such increasing your walking pace to a gentle jog.
Eight to 10 minutes will warm up the muscles and get them ready for higher-intensity activity. The warm-up process sends oxygen to the muscles, where it works with glucose to produce energy, Robin says. This ensures that the body works more efficiently, and that your workout gives better results.
Try this 6-miunte warm-up routine.
What is aerobic activity?
Aerobic activity is any activity where the body's large muscles move in a rhythmic manner for a continuous period of time. Also called endurance activity, it's great for improving the health of your heart and lungs. Examples include:
running
walking
cycling
swimming
“Aerobic activity is vital for burning off calories, weight management and general health,” says Robin.
Try this 10-minute home cardio workout.
Find out more about different types of aerobic activity.
What’s the importance of strength training?
Strength-training activities, such as weight lifting, involve short bursts of effort. Strength training burns calories and builds and strengthens muscle. Benefits of strength training include increasing bone density, strengthening joints, and improving balance, stability and posture.
“It increases your ability to do everyday tasks without getting so tired,” says Robin. “The more muscle mass you have, the easier it is to burn calories, even when the body is at rest.”
Try these 10-minute toning and 10-minute legs, bums and tums home workouts.
Find out more about muscle-strengthening activities.
Do I need to stretch?
Stretching helps to improve flexibility, balance and posture. To stretch properly and safely, slowly stretch the muscle just until you feel resistance. Resistance is the point at which you feel a slight pull. It should not be painful. Stop and hold each stretch for 10 to 20 seconds without bouncing up and down.
During the stretch, breathe deeply and regularly. Don’t hold your breath. Make sure your muscles are warmed up before you stretch. The best time to stretch is after exercise, when your muscles are most supple.
Try this 5-minute post-exercise stretching routine.
What’s the importance of cooling down?
Immediately after your workout, take time to cool down. This gradually lowers your heart rate and allows your body to recover. It may help reduce muscle injury, stiffness and soreness. Walk or continue your activity at a low intensity for five to 10 minutes. It’s then an ideal time to stretch, and you're more likely to improve your flexibility.
Should I have a rest day?
With moderate-intensity aerobic activity, whether it’s heavy gardening or cycling, you're encouraged to do a little every day. Adults should do 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week. Children aged 5–18 should do 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity every day.
It's important to rest when you do vigourous-intensity aerobic activity, such as running. The body repairs and strengthens itself between workouts, and over-training can weaken even the strongest athletes.
What should I drink?
It’s important to drink fluid during any exercise that lasts for more than 30 minutes.
Water may be enough for low-intensity exercise up to 45–50 minutes.
For higher-intensity exercise of 45–50 minutes or more, or lower-intensity exercise lasting several hours, a sports drink can help maintain energy levels and its salt will improve hydration. Choose drinks that contain sodium (salt) when exercise lasts longer than one hour, or in any event when large amounts of salt will be lost through your sweat.
How do I stay motivated?
Make sure your exercise regime includes activities that you like doing rather than what someone else tells you to do. Exercise with a friend or friends so that you can all keep each other motivated.
“Set new challenges to keep yourself stimulated,” says Robin. “And keep going. It's always hard at first, even for elite athletes, but it does get easier.”
Step right up! It's the miracle cure we've all been waiting for.
It can reduce your risk of major illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer by up to 50% and lower your risk of early death by up to 30%.
It’s free, easy to take, has an immediate effect and you don’t need a GP to get some. Its name? Exercise.
Click on the links below to find out if you're doing enough for your age:
early childhood (under 5 years old)
young people (5-18 years old)
adults (19-64 years old)
older adults (65 and over)
Exercise is the miracle cure we’ve always had, but for too long we’ve neglected to take our recommended dose. Our health is now suffering as a consequence.
This is no snake oil. Whatever your age, there's strong scientific evidence that being physically active can help you lead a healthier and even happier life.
People who do regular activity have a lower risk of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some cancers.
Research shows that physical activity can also boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing your risk of stress, depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
“If exercise were a pill, it would be one of the most cost-effective drugs ever invented,” says Dr Nick Cavill, a health promotion consultant.
Health benefits
Given the overwhelming evidence, it seems obvious that we should all be physically active. It's essential if you want to live a healthy and fulfilling life into old age.
It's medically proven that people who do regular physical activity have:
up to a 35% lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
up to a 50% lower risk of type 2 diabetes
up to a 50% lower risk of colon cancer
up to a 20% lower risk of breast cancer
a 30% lower risk of early death
up to an 83% lower risk of osteoarthritis
up to a 68% lower risk of hip fracture
a 30% lower risk of falls (among older adults)
up to a 30% lower risk of depression
up to a 30% lower risk of dementia
What counts?
Moderate-intensity aerobic activity means you're working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break a sweat. One way to tell if you're working at a moderate intensity is if you can still talk but you can't sing the words to a song.
Examples of moderate-intensity aerobic activities are:
walking fast
water aerobics
riding a bike on level ground or with few hills
playing doubles tennis
pushing a lawn mower
Daily chores such as shopping, cooking or housework don't count towards your 150 minutes. This is because the effort needed to do them isn’t hard enough to get your heart rate up.
A modern problem
People are less active nowadays, partly because technology has made our lives easier. We drive cars or take public transport. Machines wash our clothes. We entertain ourselves in front of a TV or computer screen. Fewer people are doing manual work, and most of us have jobs that involve little physical effort. Work, house chores, shopping and other necessary activities are far less demanding than for previous generations.
We move around less and burn off less energy than people used to. Research suggests that many adults spend more than seven hours a day sitting down, at work, on transport or in their leisure time. People aged over 65 spend 10 hours or more each day sitting or lying down, making them the most sedentary age group.
Sedentary lifestyles
Inactivity is described by the Department of Health as a “silent killer”. Evidence is emerging that sedentary behaviour, such as sitting or lying down for long periods, is bad for your health.
Not only should you try to raise your activity levels, but you should also reduce the amount of time you and your family spend sitting down.
Common examples of sedentary behaviour include watching TV, using a computer, using the car for short journeys and sitting down to read, talk or listen to music – and such behaviour is thought to increase your risk of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes, as well as weight gain and obesity.
“Previous generations were active more naturally through work and manual labour, but today we have to find ways of integrating activity into our daily lives,” says Dr Cavill.
Whether it's limiting the time babies spend strapped in their buggies, or encouraging adults to stand up and move frequently, people of all ages need to reduce their sedentary behaviour.
“This means that each of us needs to think about increasing the types of activities that suit our lifestyle and can easily be included in our day,” says Dr Cavill.
Crucially, you can hit your weekly activity target but still be at risk of ill health if you spend the rest of the time sitting or lying down. For tips on building physical activity and exercise into your day, whatever your age, read Get active your way.
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