HEALTHY LIVING: EXERCISE

Balance is key to whatever we decide to do in life, a balanced way of life is organised to accommodate love, work, exercise, leisure...

 

It is important to find a way to balance both our diet and physical activities, balancing work from play and stressful activities.

 

When I speak with people on the need for exercise, I get a very wide range of response from I'm already thin why do I need to exercise,? to I do a lot of walking and jumping around on daily basis and that should count for exercise. Sigh!

 

The English dictionary defines exercise as: a physical activity intended to improve strength and fitness.

 

Now based on this definition, it means you can eat balanced meal every so often, Rest well and work properly without still been fit or improve on the strength you draw from these meals...

 

Exercise is not only about body building and losing colestrol. It is also about being in tip-top shape. Various exercise technique exist for various results. Either you are looking to work your tummy muscles, burn cholesterol or general toning of the body. Each form or series of exercises is useful to achieve certain level of body fitness.

The usual advice is you know your body and schedule, you know your weaknesses and how far you are willing to push. Activities done under duress or stress cannot be termed as 'exercise' because these forms of activities are adrenaline driven and not usually useful in getting the desired result.

Speaking with professional fitness experts would reveal that no set of exercise can be strictly used by two persons, it is usually modified to suit the personal health conditions, work/ life schedule, eating habits and affinity.

 

However, exercise is generally recommended to pump our adrenaline level (as against using adrenaline to push fort an activity). It is required to help improve blood circulation, keep us fit and alert, reduce cholesterol and tone our muscle (depending on your needs).

 

I have discovered that the most excuse given by working class city people is either the traffic combined with the distance of their place of work from their homes or the nature of their jobs. To this end I have decided to go on a personal research of what kind of exercise people who fall in this category could benefit from without completely disrupting their entire schedule or over burdening themselves with barrages of activities.

 

General muscle toning is mainly the first steps required to keep in tip-top shape. You can get up early to do some activities even by your bed side for about 15minutes just before you drop in the shower.

 

Exercises that help you get the most out of every workout move, meant to build lean muscle tone, fast include;

 

Split Squat

Stand with your legs staggered, your left foot about two feet In front of your right

 

(a). Bend your knees to lower your body until your left thigh is parallel and your shin is perpendicular to the floor

 

(b). Straighten your legs to return to start. Do five reps, then switch sides and repeat.

Incline Push up

Get into a push up position with your hands placed slightly wider than your shoulders on a box, stool, dressing table or bench,

(a). Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the surface

(b). Pause at the bottom, and then push yourself back to start. Do as many reps as possible until you can't maintain form or have to stop.

 Lat Pull-Down

For those who have a Lat pull down in their homes. Sit at the lat pull-down station and grab the bar with an overhang grip that's slightly wider than your shoulders (a). Without moving your torso, pull the bar down to your chest, pulling your elbows toward the floor and your rib cage, and squeezing your shoulder blades at the bottom of the move

(b). Pause, then return to start. Do five reps.

Triceps Dip

Sit on the edge of a bench or chair with your knees bent and your feet on the floor in front of you. Place your palms face down next to your thighs and, keep your arms straight, scoot forward until your hips and butt are in front of the seat

(a). Bend your elbows to lower your hips until your upper arms are parallel to the floor

(b). Push back to start. That's one rep. Do as many reps as possible until you have to pause or can't maintain form.

No one is left behind in these short steps that can be done before shower time. With only about 15minutes of work out that can be done even by your bed side you don't have an excuse not to get into shape.

 

What are you waiting for? Let's get to it together and start living more healthy while keeping in a top tip shape.