Exercise - The Magic Bullet
Exercise – The Magic Bullet
Better than any pill...No one else can do it for you...Exercise is the key to looking and feeling your best for life
What is the Magic Bullet?
Exercise Is The Key To Lifelong Well-being
People tend to think of an “elixir of life” as medicine in a bottle, a “magic bullet” as some kind of a pill, and the “fountain of youth” as mystical waters. But exercise may come closer than anything else we know as the best way to become and stay beautiful, strong, healthy, energetic, and happy. It may be the single best route to a long and active life.
Exercise Your Right of Healthy Mind, Body, and Spirit
You can count on it... Benefits Of Exercise Add Up
- Appearance, youthfulness: Exercise helps keep your body trim, your muscles toned, your posture straight and tall, your complexion clear and glowing.
- Strength: Exercise helps build strong muscles and bones and maintains healthy joints, so that your body will respond to your commands.
- Energy, stamina: A regular exercise program, rather than exhausting you, gives you more energy and staying-power—not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally.
- Mobility: Exercise helps keep you moving. The ability to move about is critical for living independently and remaining able to do what you want, when you want.
- Safety: Exercise keeps your re-flexes alert and your muscles ready to respond so you might avoid, and recover quickly from accidents, falls, injuries, and illnesses.
- Disease treatment and prevention: Exercise can help prevent or treat many diseases such as stroke, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, and osteoporosis. Check with your doctor to make sure exercise is right for you.
- Weight control: Exercise not only burns calories, it also tunes up your metabolism to better use nutrients. Studies show that, in the long run, exercise may be even more effective than diet in weight loss. In addition, exercise helps you look better, regardless of how much you weigh.
- Attitude: The feeling of being fit and frisky that comes from regular exercise goes a long way toward imparting a strong sense of well-being, a positive outlook and a feeling of "can-do" confidence.
- Emotional resilience, psychological balance: Ever feel so frustrated or angry you just want to punch the wall or run the other way? Channel that impulse into exercise. Exercise is a great way to cool off and get a grip when you're stressed out.
- Mental alertness: As is evident in any heated basketball game, tennis match or dance performance, exercise tunes up your reflexes, reaction time, and ability to process in-formation. Exercise helps you wake up in the morning and stay awake until bedtime. This effect applies to both physical and mental tasks.
- Flexibility: Exercise helps you bend and stretch and avoid strains and stiffness.
Without a doubt . . .Exercise IS for everyone
Babies begin exercising months before birth. “Quickening,” or movement in the womb, is traditionally viewed as the first sign of life. People can keep exercising well into old age — in fact, people who exercise are more likely to live longer and enjoy their golden years.
The best prescription for many injuries and illnesses— even broken bones, heart problems, and surgery—is to start exercising as soon as possible. Physical therapy is a critical part of recovery.
“Use it or lose it” — Unused muscles atrophy (become slack and useless). Sedentary, inactive people lose muscle tone, flexibility, strength and energy. But people who keep active on a regular basis are more likely to be able to remain active throughout life, well into old age.
Getting Started
Safety First!
Check with your doctor before you begin to exercise or dramatically change your exercise program, or if you have any medical conditions—such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis/joint problems, osteoporosis (brittle bones), dizziness, epilepsy, pregnancy—that might affect your ability to exercise or the type of exercise you choose.
How Much Exercise Is Right For Me?
Any amount of regular exercise is better than none. And exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous or exhausting to be beneficial.
- It’s best to start exercising modestly and build based on your fitness level.
- In fact, like most anything else, too much exercise (to the point of injury, exhaustion or obsession), or exercise that is too extreme for your individual fitness level, can lead to ill effects. Forget about “no pain, no gain.” Exercise is about joy, satisfaction, accomplishment and feeling good.
Take The Hurdles In Stride
No one can exercise for you—you have to do it for yourself. Even if you hire a personal trainer to show you what to do and to help you do it, you’re the one who has to expend the effort if you hope to collect the rewards.
Bite the Bullet and TAKE ACTION!
Items to consider when preparing your exercise routine... The Exercise Checklist
- Convenience: Get to your workout quickly, easily, and regularly to and from your home or office.
- Fits INTO schedule: Fit exercise into daily routine (before/after work/school; lunch-time; before you get comfy in front of the TV).
- Affordable: What is your budget? Exercise can range from free or very inexpensive (walking, community facilities) to extremely costly investments in equipment, fees, travel, and preparation.
- Practical: How well will the activities you're considering fit into your schedule and lifestyle? Consider whether your sport involves special clothing or equipment, trans-porting and storing equipment, changing clothes and showering, and whether you can comfortably accommodate those needs.
- Time commitment: Some people can only work in a workout if they can be in and out in 45 minutes. Others welcome all-day events or even week-long adventures.
- Consistency: Be sure your program includes some form of exercise several times a week or shorter bouts several times a day.Year-round: Aim for a program of exercise or complementary group of exercises that enables you to remain active in every season.
Exercise Options
Whether you lean toward bungee jumping or channel-surfing, consider the following possibilities as your main or supplemental exercise choices:
- Walking or running: Can do anywhere, year-round, indoors or out; safe and beneficial for virtually all ages and physical conditions; groups/clubs for safety, companionship; (for those who run into runners’ problems, walking, including race-walking or power-walking, can be an ideal alternative).
- Swimming and water exercise: Great total body aerobic and muscle workout; can be year-round, indoors; especially good for people with arthritis and joint or mobility problems, pregnant women—and an important safety skill for all ages.
- Exercise classes: Year-round, indoor, instructors on-hand, something for all ranges of abilities, fitness, interests, goals; variety ranges from step classes in multi-impact aerobics to stretching, yoga, and relaxation.
- Dancing: Gets you moving while having fun and socializing; ranges from folk, square, and ballroom dancing classes and clubs to jazz, tap, funk, African, and ballet. You can also try “cutting a rug” in the privacy of your home.
- Weight training: Ranges from strengthening and conditioning to body-building; year-round, indoors, individually geared to personal fitness level, goals and progress; studies show benefits for bone health, strength.
- Exercise videos: All you need is a video player and a little space to take advantage of the wide variety of fitness tapes now available; you can buy them through stores or mail order, rent them from video stores, or even borrow them from your local library. You might tune in to a cable fitness channel too.
- Get up and move: Try walking instead of driving, or parking at a distance and walking the rest of the way; take the stairs instead of the elevator; do household chores and yard work; stroll down the hall to visit colleagues instead of phoning or e-mailing. As long as you're moving, it counts as exercise.
Which Exercise?
Exercise can only do you good if you do it. It’s important to choose an exercise regimen you can follow on a regular basis, several times a week, year in and out. The Surgeon General suggests “moderate” exercise for people of all ages at all levels. This includes, for example, gardening, stairwalking, or washing your car for 10 to 15 minutes here and there. That’s moderate exercise.
- How much? Being a “weekend warrior” who plays basketball full out on Saturdays and sits around on other days is not the way to go. It’s better to fit other activities in-between, or opt for an activity you can do more frequently.
- How often? Just walking a short time every day or every other day is a great start. Depending on your age, health, and other circumstances, you can stick with that or start building time, speed and distance, add in other activities, or switch to more challenging sports.
- Bring a friend. Joining an exercise program (gym, group, class, club) can help you get going and stick with it by providing companionship, encouragement, and structure.
- Do things you enjoy! Whatever exercise you choose should be something you look forward to—not something you dread or endure.
- Experiment. Try new things— even if you think you might not like them. Sign up for instruction in new skills or sports. Sample different local gyms and fitness classes. Rent a bike, skates, or canoe for a day. Ask friends to let you accompany them when they exercise.
- Be realistic. Although Alpine skiing in the Alps can be exhilarating, it’s not likely to be something you can do year-round, several times a week. Consider how you can weave together one or more activities that fit into your lifestyle.
For More Information
American Council on Exercise
www.acefitness.org
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov
A PUBLICATION OF THE
Wellness Councils of America
9802 Nicholas Street, Suite 315
Omaha, NE 68114-2106
Phone: (402) 827-3590
Fax: (402) 827-3594
www.welcoa.org
©2006 Wellness Councils of America
The information contained in this brochure has been carefully reviewed for accuracy. It is not intended to replace the advice of your physician or health care provider.