Workouts can be best defined as physical activities carried out by the body to promote or enhance the fitness of an individual. Exercises can be performed for various reasons like — to strengthen the muscles, hone the skills of martial arts, to pace up the speed of your body, to lose weight and become fit, or for pure joy. Though there are many best exercises to stay fit, according to experts, these three are something that shouldn’t be missed on your workout routine.
3 Best Exercises That Help You Stay Fit
These are the best exercises to keep your body healthy and strong.
1. Aerobic Exercises
Aerobics can be best defined as the best physical activities that put huge muscle groups of the body to use. The main goal of aerobic exercise is to enhance cardiovascular endurance. Best examples of this activity are:
- Skipping rope
- Playing tennis
- Rowing
- Swimming
- Hiking
- Climbing the stairs
- Dancing
- Doing garden work such as digging, raking, as well as long slow distance training
The duration of performing this exercise can extend from 20 minutes to more than one hour. These type of exercises keep the body in shape, improve blood circulation, ward off diabetes, and assist in improving your immunity. The other benefits include an immense calorie burning (great exercise if you are obese), reduction in blood pressure as well as cholesterol levels and the most important part – increasing the energy levels.
2. Body Building or Anaerobic Training
On the other hand, this type of exercise can firm, strengthen, or tone the muscles. Also, it improves balance, coordination, and strength of the entire body. Examples of these exercises include:
- Lunges
- Pushups
- Bicep curls via dumbbells
- The other forms concerned with anaerobic exercise are sprinting, weight training, etc.
3. Yoga or Flexibility Exercises
Yoga is one of the best exercises to stretch the muscles and increase the body’s flexibility. These exercises assist in improving the flexibility of joints and keep the muscles in proper shape. Flexibility in body movements paves the way for the body to do other exercises and perform at your best. Hence, it is one of the must-do day-to-day activities.
According to recent medical research, yoga can be termed as the best form of exercise for stretches. However, it is advisable that you learn the ‘asanas’ under the tutelage of a MASTER and do not go for any DVD’s of famous personalities. Here and there, if a pull or strain occurs (let it not happen), you will have no one to offer advice and guidance.
Health Benefits Of Exercises
Practicing physical activities regularly has several advantages to the body like:
- Boosting the immune system
- Warding off simple ailments such as cold and cough
- Preventing major ailments like type II diabetes
- Reduces obesity
- Takes good care of your heart
On the psychological side, the benefits of exercises include:
- Reduces depression
- Promotes self-esteem
- Improves proper functioning of the brain
- Makes an individual look younger
Childhood obesity is a growing global phenomenon and exercises can truly assist in reducing some of the health challenges. Exercise has often been called as the “wonder drug” or “miracle” because of the numerous benefits it provides.
Understand, that to reach the peak level of fitness, you need to combine various exercises while maintaining the consistency in training. Well-practiced and consistent workout regimens may involve different exercises that can make you less prone to injury and assist you in maintaining physical fitness. Obese individuals can burn calories by doing flexibility exercises whereas athletes can avoid injury by practicing strength training.
Remember, to be fit; you need to have balance, flexibility, strength, and endurance. It is true that endurance exercises build not only stamina but also strength. Developing strength exercises can give balance. So, kindly do exercises as per your body requirements.
Endurance exercises can be listed in the aerobic type. They increase the breathing and heart rate. The advantages are already explained. Building stamina or endurance assists in making you carrying all your day-to-day activities with a smile.
Strength exercises can be related to the non-aerobic activity as they can make your muscles stronger. These give an advantage when performing day-to-day activities. Some of the exercises are lifting groceries during a shopping spree.
Balance: If you are a senior citizen, the major challenge is to prevent falls because of non-balance of the body. Some of these exercises are the age-old Chinese art (Tai Chi) or standing on the foot etc.
Stability: While performing a simple activity such as walking on the street, proper body alignment is essential to resist unwanted joint and bone movements. Focus is given to those muscles that assist as well coordinate the joint and muscle contractions. Some of the stability exercises are Pilates, Russian twist, and reverse crunches.
Disadvantages Of Not Doing Exercises
Some people think that exercises and physical activities are only for sports persons. It has to be understood that exercise is needed to keep every human body fit and healthy. Exercise helps in stimulating the natural repair system of the human body. All the body organs, internal and external, will stay in shape if you keep them busy and in practice. Not using them for a long time can lead to:
- Stiff joints
- Poor posture
- Obesity
Exercise can help in increasing/preserving the bone density as you get into old age. If you suffer from osteoporosis or frequent bruises, the chances are that you would not have done physical activities in your younger years. Medical research has confirmed that women participating in group exercises tend to lose more weight without committing to a diet program whereas women who are sedentary tend to suffer from depression and other ailments.
A Word of Caution: Never start or participate in an exercise program if you are pregnant, obese or suffer from chronic pain, without the guidance of your physician.
What Do Doctors Recommend?
If you are over 65 years of age or older, to be in full fitness; experts advise you to engage in the following. It is mandatory.
At least 2 1/2 hours of moderate level aerobic exercise for three days and two days of muscle exercises (for strength)
OR
One hour of extreme aerobic exercise (under the eyes of trainer) and two days of muscle-strengthening physical activities
OR
Indulge in both moderate and extreme aerobic exercises on alternate days and two days of muscle-strengthening activities.