Most elements of any wellness program are strictures cut down on fats, lower your blood pressure, don’t smoke, minimize stress, but there is one positive thing you can do exercise, or at least stay active. Because so many Americans are sedentary, however, lack of exercise poses a major risk to the health of the nation as a whole.

An elusive concept, physical fitness means different things to a dancer, marathon runner, lumberjack, mailman or weight lifter. And it’s a relative term: you may be fitter than you were last year or than your neighbor, but there’s no clear-cut point at which you are “fit”. One thing is clear, though: if fitness is the goal, exercise is the way to get there.

Exercise appears to be increasingly important the older we get. Many of the problems commonly associated with aging increased body fat, decreased muscle strength and flexibility, loss of bone mass, lower metabolism, and slower reaction times are often signs of inactivity that can be minimized or even prevented by exercise. Indeed, many healthy men and women in their fifties, sixties and beyond who exercise regularly are “fitter” (according to standard measures of physical fitness) than sedentary young people.

Regular exercise can measurably improve four basic elements of physical fitness: cardiovascular endurance muscle strength, muscle endurance, and flexibility.

The most important exercise

Cardiovascular endurance usually defined as the ability to carry on a vigorous activity such as running, cycling, or swimming for an extended period of time is the most vital element of fitness.

To build cardiovascular endurance, you must enhance the ability of your heart, blood vessels, and blood to deliver oxygen to the body’s cells, and then to carry away waste products. Although muscles can draw on quick sources of energy for short-term exertion, such as lifting a heavy weight, when exercise lasts longer than a minute or two, the muscles get most of their energy from a process that requires oxygen from the blood, Because of the role played by oxygen, such activities are called aerobic (meaning “with air).

With regular aerobic exercise your heart will eventually be able to pump more blood and thus deliver more oxygen with greater efficiency. Moreover your muscles capacity to use this oxygen will be enhanced; this is part of what is called the aerobic “training effect.” Your heart rate both at rest and during exertion will decrease and your heart will acquire the ability to recover from the stress of exercise more quickly.

How much is enough?

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) suggests aerobic exercise sessions of 15 to 60 minutes a day, three to five days a week. Any activity is okay if it can be maintained continually and utilizes primarily the large muscle groups (such as those in the legs). This includes running, brisk walking, swimming, cycling, rowing, cross country skiing, and rope skipping. Furthermore to get the most out of the exercise, you must work out an intensity that raises your heart rate to its training zone. Stop and go sports like baseball or tennis won’t keep your heart rate elevated.

If you are over 45 the ACSM recommends that you consult your doctor before beginning an aerobic exercise program. This also holds if you are under 45 and have heart disease risk factors (such as high blood pressure). Anyone starting a new exercise program should take it easy during the first several weeks.

(To be continued)

Article extracted from this publication >>  February 17, 1989