SolveYourProblem eLearning Series:
I'm an Active Senior
Who Wants To Stay Healthy
( 50 aticles in this series )

Your Exercise Routine:
Setting Realistic Expectations
   

Set realistic expectations for your work outs. After you have had your check-up and talk with your doctor and gained clearance for an exercise routine, there are some basic rules that will help you ensure that you have set realistic expectations. First and foremost, if something hurts, stop immediately. If the pain persists when you begin to exercise again, take a break.

If you are under the weather, take it easy. You may need to skip your routine entirely if you are feeling very ill, but certainly thinking about at least modifying your routine when you are not feeling well. If you have experienced some unusual pain or if you have been ill, when you start your routine up again, start slowly likely you did when you began the routine. If you feel chest pain or pressure, breathing trouble or excessive shortness of breath persistent pain in a muscle or joint, nausea and unusual balance difficulties you should make an appointment to meet with your doctor once again.

The best way to get started on a routine is to begin with 10 minutes a couple times a day. Take it slow, moving at a consistent pace. Be sure to wear comfortable, non-restrictive clothing that keeps your body temperature comfortable as well. Dressing in layers is a key element to ensure that you can adjust as your body temperature rises. Early on, don’t overexert yourself in any manner and be sure to drink plenty of water before, during and after your activity.

Always ease your body into exercise. Stretching or walking for at least 5 minutes is a great way to get both looser and warmed up. As you begin to feel stronger, gradually increase both the time and intensity of your activity. If walking, walk faster or uphill and walk for longer periods of time. If bicycling, do likewise. If you can get active with friends you stand a good chance of keeping it interesting. Finally, work for consistency. If you do a small amount every day, it will become a part of a routine that you will automatically include. Too many people focus on doing a lot occasionally. That tends to make it difficult to keep up your routine - with research pointing to regularity and consistency, keeping up your routine is the most important aspect of your program.

Remember, your schedule can include a variety of activity. It is also possible to mix traditional forms of exercise with the non-traditional to ensure that your routine is neither grueling nor boring. Non-traditional forms can include gardening, walking your dog, and even spending an evening going dancing. Most importantly, if you are having fun, your routine will be better for you overall, physically, mentally and emotionally. Most importantly it will be much easier for you to maintain.

A tip that helps those who start an exercise schedule to maintain that schedule is to keep an Activity Log. Writing down what types of activity you do everyday is a great way help you realize just how much you have accomplished or haven’t accomplished on any given day. In addition, as the days go on, your log will make it easier for you to keep up your new pace especially when you are to look back to see the progress you have made.

Physical activity yields a multitude of physical, mental and psychological benefits. Regular physical activity reduces a person’s risk of heart disease and if the person experiences hypertension, exercise will also lower the blood pressure of the exerciser. Physical exercise protects against loss in bone mass, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and reduces the risk of falling and breaking a bone in the fall. New research shows that regular exercise may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Exercise also increases your body metabolism helping shed useless weight - increased muscle mass helps a person burn more calories as muscle burns more calories than fat. A healthy, strong body is also the surest way to fight off infection and sickness, as well as allow people who become sick to recover from their illness far quickly.

There is no doubt that a physically active lifestyle is one of the most important contributions to healthy aging. The key is to start and to start now. In fact, many people will state that the most difficult part of any new endeavor is getting started. So the key is to simply tell yourself that you can do it and the time to do it is now. Be sure to pace yourself and move slowly at the outset, making exercise a regular part of your day. Regardless of the amount of time and the intensity of the work out, the key is to start by doing something, anything. If you can make it a habit, then it will become easier for you to create a routine that you can consistently commit to and ultimately build upon if you seek to increase your fitness.

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by SolveYourProblem.com : 2006

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