Health Library

Start a Regular Exercise Program

by Laurie LaRusso, MS, ELS

The Benefits of Regular Exercise

Here's Why:

image Exercise helps keep your body healthy and your tissues and organs working properly. In keeping your body in good working order, exercise also helps ward off many diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and many others.

Here's How:    TOP

In 2008, the United States Department of Health and Human Services released physical activity guidelines for Americans. They recommend that adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate–intensity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous–intensity aerobic physical activity per week. For additional health benefits, they recommend that adults increase this amount to 300 minutes of moderate–intensity or 150 minutes a week of vigorous–intensity per week.

Your exercise program should include:

Aerobic (Cardiovascular) Exercise

In aerobic exercise, you continually move large muscles in the legs and buttocks. This action causes you to breathe more deeply and your heart to work harder to pump blood, thereby strengthening your heart and lungs.

Examples include:

Strength Training (Resistance) Exercise

Strength training builds lean muscle mass, which increases your physical strength and your bone mass.

Examples include:

  • Weight lifting, using:
    • Free weights
    • Weight machines
    • Elastic tubing
  • Calisthenics, such as push ups or chin ups

Flexibility (Stretching) Exercise

Stretching can offer many benefits, such as improving:

  • Flexibility
  • Range of motion
  • Circulation

Major muscle groups to stretch include:

  • Back muscles
  • Neck muscles
  • Leg muscles: hamstrings, quadriceps, calf muscles
  • Chest muscles
  • Buttocks and hip muscles
  • Shoulder and arm muscles
  • Stomach muscles

Stretching classes include:

Here are some tips for safe stretching:

  • Spend at least 5-10 minutes warming up your muscles before stretching. For example, walking gently while swinging your arms in wide circles.
  • Start each stretch slowly, exhaling as you gently stretch the muscle.
  • Hold each stretch for 10-30 seconds.

Here are some common stretching mistakes to avoid:

  • Do not bounce during a stretch.
  • Do not stretch a muscle that is not warmed up.
  • If a stretch hurts, ease up. Do not strain or push a muscle too far.
  • Do not hold your breath while stretching.

Getting Started

Before starting an exercise program, check with your doctor about any possible medical problems you may have that would limit your exercise program.

Consider making an appointment with a certified athletic trainer to help you develop a safe, effective, and enjoyable exercise program. You can find a trainer at a local gym or through a referral from your doctor or a friend. Make sure this person understands your goals and can help you maintain an exercise program that you will enjoy and stick with.

RESOURCES:

American Council on Exercise
http://www.acefitness.org/
Weight-control Information Network
http://win.niddk.nih.gov/index.htm

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Canada's Safety Council
http://www.safety-council.org/
Recreational Safety
Government of Canada
http://www.safecanada.ca/topic_e.asp?category=7

References:

2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. United States Department of Health and Human Services website. Available at: http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/default.aspx. Accessed May 21, 2012.
American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine website. Available at: http://www.sportsmed.org . Accessed May 21, 2012..
Exercise: how to get started. American Academy of Family Physicians website. Available at: http://www.aafp.org/afp/20061215/2095ph.html . Published December 2006. Accessed May 21, 2012.
Health and fitness tips. American Council on Exercise website. Available at: http://www.acefitness.org/healthandfitnesstips/default.aspx . Accessed May 21, 2012.
Mayo Clinic. Stretching: focus on flexibility. Mayo Clinic website. Available at: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stretching/hq01447. Updated February 23, 2011. Accessed May 21, 2012.
Last reviewed May 2012 by Brian Randall, MD
Last Updated: 5/21/2012

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