What Exercise is Best for You?

Every day you hear pro’s and con’s of various types of workouts. Designing a fitness plan that works for you and does not put you at risk for injury is important when you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Remember when you were a kid and running, jumping and rolling around was just second nature? As we get older, physical activity becomes something that we know is important but sometimes we tend try and fit it into our schedule and easily find an excuse to skip it.

Developing a fitness plan should include some aerobic activity, strength training and improve your balance.

Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercise is a great way to burn calories. I like to recommend low-impact aerobic exercises such as walking, biking and swimming. How much aerobic exercise you get depends on the individual. A good guideline is to fit in at least two and half hours per week.

Before any aerobic exercise always perform a series of stretch exercises before and after your cardio activity.

Strength Training

Strength training is important because it helps protect against bone loss. You don’t have to belong to a gym to work on improving your strength. You can build muscle using resistance bands and free weights. After each training session, remember to let your body rest for at least forty-eight hours before you attempt another session.

Start each training session with a five or ten minute warm-up. Include walking and stretches for your warm up session. Don’t forget to breathe during the repetitions and stay consistent with your training.

Balance Exercises

Maintaining our balance becomes more difficult as we get older. Sometimes our lack of balance is related to illness or lack of physical activity. As we age, we tend to develop poor balance that can lead to falling causing head injuries, hip displacement and fractures.

Yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates are great ways to build and maintain your balance and flexibility. Thirty minutes of any balance exercises three times per week should be enough to keep you healthy. If you are just starting off with these exercises, remember to pay attention to your body and avoid overextending yourself.

If you are on a budget, balance exercises are probably the most cost effective form of exercise. YouTube offers several instructional videos. Get a group together at your house and practice Yoga, Tai Chi or Pilates. Thanks to YouTube, you are not stuck with the same instructor or video. Feel free to change it up!