Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health. However, working it into your routine and sticking with it can take some determination and discipline. Certain strategies can help you keep it up.
If you exercise regularly, you’ll begin to see and feel the benefits it can have on your body and well-being quickly.
If you’re considering starting to exercise but don’t know where to begin, this article is for you. Here’s all you need to know about starting a routine and sticking to it.
Why exercise?
Regular exercise has been shown to improve your health significantly.
Its primary benefits include helping you achieve and maintain a healthy body weight and muscle mass and reducing your risk for chronic diseases.
Additionally, research has shown that exercise can lift your mood, boost your mental health, help you sleep better, and even enhance your sex life.
And that’s not all. It can also help you maintain good energy levels.
In short, exercise is powerful and can help improve your life.
Summary
Exercise can help to improve mental function, reduce your risk for chronic disease and manage your weight.
Common types of exercise
There are various types of exercise, including:
- Aerobic. The core of any fitness program should include some form of continuous movement. Examples include swimming, running, and dancing.
- Strength. These exercises help increase muscle power and strength. Examples include resistance training, plyometrics, weightlifting, and sprinting.
- Calisthenics. These moves are usually performed without gym equipment using large muscle groups. They’re done at a medium aerobic pace. Examples include lunges, situps, pushups, and pullups.
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT). This type of exercise includes repetitions of short bursts of high-intensity exercise followed by low-intensity exercises or rest periods.
- Boot camps. These are timed-based, high-intensity circuits that combine aerobic and resistance exercises.
- Balance or stability. These exercises are designed to strengthen muscles and improves body coordination. Examples include Pilates, tai chi poses, and core-strengthening exercises.
- Flexibility. These types of exercises help muscle recovery, maintain range of motion, and prevent injuries. Examples include yoga or individual muscle-stretch movements.
The activities above can be done individually or combined. The important thing is to do what works best for you and to have fun with it.