Get Ready, Get Set, Get Moving!
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2003-09-02 11:00:00-04:00
You've decided to do something fantastic for your health and your body - you're going to get moving! Congratulations - you've already taken the first step. Now all you need to know is how to begin.
If you haven't been physically active before, don't worry - it's never too late to start. Maybe you used to be active but haven't exercised regularly in a long time. Either way, ask yourself the following questions to see whether you should talk to your doctor before you get going:
- Has your doctor ever said you have a heart condition and that you should only do physical activity recommended by a doctor?
- Do you feel pain in your chest when you do physical activity?
- In the past month, have you had chest pain when you were not doing physical activity?
- Do you lose your balance because of dizziness, or do you ever lose consciousness?
- Do you have a bone or joint problem that could get worse from a change in your physical activity?
- Is your doctor currently prescribing drugs (for example, water pills) for blood pressure or a heart condition?
- Do you know of any other reason why you should not do physical activity?*
Source: Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q),
Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, Inc., 1994
Once you get the green light, from PAR-Q or your doctor, it's time to put together a fitness plan based on the four fitness building blocks.
The Four Fitness Building Blocks
Endurance - activities that boost your heart rate and breathing for an extended period of time
Strength - activities that build muscle and make bones stronger
Flexibility - activities that involve stretching and increase your range of motion
Balance - activities that help you maintain posture and balance to keep you from falling
Putting Together a Plan
You can work with a personal trainer or fitness instructor to develop a plan. You also can design your own. For instance, you might want to begin a walking routine and then two days a week add some strength training with hand weights and stretching exercises.
Finding out which areas of fitness you need to work on the most can help you design the best plan to meet your needs. For example, you might have great endurance but need to build strength.
Activities for the Four Building Blocks
Some activities, such as martial arts, offer endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility benefit all.
- Endurance (aerobics)
- Hiking
- Stair Climbing
- Swimming
- Dancing
- Cycling
- Brisk Walking
- Martial Arts
- Sports such as volleyball, basketball, and tennis
Goal: Aim for 30 minutes of moderate activity five days a week.
Strength training
- Calisthenics or weight machines that work both the upper and lower body
- Martial Arts
- Pilates
- Rowing, cycling, and hiking
An activity like rowing will improve upper-body strength, while cycling and hiking will strengthen leg muscles. Combining upper- and lower-body activities in your daily routine will also provide an overall strengthening workout.
Goal: To build strength through resistance exercises (weights, resistance bands), do one to two sets of 10 to 15 repetitions for each muscle group, two to three times a week. Try to do an activity like cycling three to five times a week.
Flexibility
- Yoga
- Ballet
- Pilates
- Martial Arts
- Calisthenics
To avoid injuries it's important to include stretching in all workouts. For instance, stretch for several minutes before and after you walk, jog, dance, or lift weights. If you are stretching before working out make sure your muscles are warmed up. Try marching in place or brisk walking pumping your arms.
Goal: Perform a static (no bouncing) stretch routine each day, working each muscle group two or three times for 20 to 30 seconds each time.
Balance
- Yoga
- Martial arts, especially Tai Chi
- Weight machines and other exercises that strengthen leg and back muscles
- Posture exercises, such as walking with a book on your head or walking heel to toe along a straight line.
Goal: Work your balance exercises into your regular strength-training, stretching, and endurance routines.
Measuring Your Success
Chart your progress using information from the National Institutes of Health site. Don't be discouraged if you don't get instant results. Getting fit takes time. Just stick with it and you'll see your balance, endurance, strength, and flexibility improve.
AARP Resources
Change Can Do You Good
Making major life changes - quitting smoking, becoming active, losing weight - takes time and persistence.
Fitness Safety
Stay safe while staying active.
Walking For Health: Getting Started
Walking is fun, easy, cheap - and almost anyone can do it!
Additional Resources
Mayo Clinic
Self-tests for endurance, strength, flexibility, body composition, and body mass index are explained and illustrated.
Charting Progress
The National Institutes of Health offer simple tests to measure your fitness progress in endurance, strength, and balance.
Exercise: A Guide From the National Institute On Aging
Information about the four building blocks of fitness, exercise safety, and illustrated sample exercises.
Fit Facts
The American Council on Exercise has fact sheets on endurance, strength/resistance, and flexibility exercises, as well as things to consider before beginning an exercise program.
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC)
Walk, cycle or run your way to better health and fitness by visiting Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's free online database of 1,200 community rail-trails and find a trail near you.
Books
Find these books online at Barnes & Noble.com.
Your Personal Trainer
Kathy Fulcher, Trafalgar Square, September 2002
The Exercise Training Diary For Dummies
Allen St. John, Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated, February 2001
preview