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How can I be physical?
Physical health means much more than just going for a run or lifting weights.
Physical health is achieved through a balanced combination of your strength, stability, flexibility and
endurance.
To attain this picture of physical health, you must
include components of each within your life. Following are some examples of what you can
do to improve each of these aspects of your physical health:
Strength: aside from
lifting weights at a gym, here are some exercises you can do at home:
Push-ups – maybe you have not done these since the physical fitness test
in grade school, but you should because push-ups exercise many muscles in your
arms and torso.
To properly perform a
push-up, place your hands on the floor, shoulder width apart and extend your
legs, so that your weight is supported on your toes – you should look like a 2x4
piece of wood supported on your arms. Slowly push yourself up from the ground
until your arms are almost fully extended. Hold this position and then slowly
lower yourself to the ground. Congratulations! You’ve done a push-up! If this
position is too difficult for you, bend your knees and support your weight from
your knees instead of your toes.
Stability: having a good
sense of balance is not only important for athletes, rather, it is important for
each of us as we age to prevent injury.
Balance on one foot – you may remember doing this for your
pediatrician, but it is an equally good exercise now. This exercise will improve
your proprioception and your ankle and leg strength.
To turn balancing on
one foot into an exercise:
(1) Stand on a level
surface, shoes off, and place four plastic cups upside down on the floor around
you, about 6-12” from your feet.
(2) Lifting one foot off
the ground and balancing on the other leg, try to reach down and touch one cup.
(3) Remaining on the one
leg, stand back up, and then repeat, trying to touch each cup.
Flexibility: Maintaining good flexibility can prevent muscle
injury while performing everyday activities like lifting boxes, as well as
preventing exercise-induced injuries. With some simple daily stretching, it is
possible to maintain and/or improve your current level of flexibility. Proper
stretching can also significantly reduce low back pain in affected individuals.
Please remember that if a stretch feels very uncomfortable, you may be doing it
incorrectly and you should consult a professional trainer.
Muscles you should stretch: be sure to regularly stretch
each of the following muscle groups, especially before and after activity:
-
Gluteus muscles (buttocks)
-
Pectoralis muscles (chest)
-
Trapezius, Latissimus Dorsi, and Rhomboids (back muscles)
-
Biceps (front of upper arm)
-
Triceps (back of upper arm)
For instruction on how to
stretch these muscles, please check out these web sites:
www.workoutsforwomen.com/stretch.asp
www.ultimatehandbook.com/Webpages/Health/stretchbasic.html
Endurance: This is simply how long you can perform a particular activity. To increase your
endurance for aerobic activities, increase your time by 10% each week. For
example, if you normally run for 20 minutes, in the new week, run for 22
minutes. These small steps will allow you to slowly add more time onto your
activity. You can also help increase endurance by adding small bursts of harder
activity into your workout. For example, if you normally walk for 20 minutes,
break into a run for several minutes in the middle of your walk.
Guidelines :
The following exercise guidelines are from the American College of Sports Medicine (www.acsm.org):
- Exercise 3-5 days per week
- Warm up for 5-10 minutes before aerobic activity
- Maintain your exercise intensity for 30-45 minutes
- Cool down for 5-10 minutes and stretch
- Don’t forget to leave at least 24-48hrs between
strength training of any muscle group (so if you do arm curls on Monday,
don’t do them again until Wednesday).
Add some variety to your workouts. Just as you get
bored doing the same thing over and over, so do your muscles! Check out the
student activity center, local newspapers, and online for exciting classes
like Yoga, Pilates, Spinning, Water Aerobics, and more!!
- And remember,
exercising with a friend is always more fun.
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