The Do's and Don'ts of Exercise and Fitness
The Do’s and Don’ts of Exercise and Fitness
Highlights from Dr. Justin Mager’s presentation “Work It Out”
*Please note that this is NOT meant to be medical advice. Always consult your physician before starting an exercise routine.
Humans are the ultimate cross trainers. We are capable of short, intense feats of strength and power as well as longer, sustained bouts of endurance work. Further, the incredible range of motion of our shoulders and hips allow a great deal of freedom in our movements, which allows us to perform a wide variety of activities. Not only are our bodies designed for movement, we depend upon movement for our health. This is what fitness and exercise are all about.
Humans used to get enough physical exertion from daily activities, however in modern society we have to make an extra effort since it is no longer built into our routine. Taking time away to go to the gym or work out is important, but it is just as beneficial to cultivate regular physical activity during your daily routine. The ultimate goal for your fitness should be to live an overall active life while providing specific stressors during exercise to “push” your body. Additionally, it is important to include an adequate amount of rest and recovery to allow your body to revitalize, adapt, and maintain its well-being.
The importance of movement for health extends beyond simply toning your muscles. The heart is commonly regarded as the “pump” of the cardiovascular system, but the cardiovascular system is not just limited to the heart—your entire body is a pump. Coordinated movements enhance circulation and keeps your body’s systems fluid, pliable, and efficient. If our bodies are not moving enough, then there is more “pressure” on the heart to pump blood and compensate for the lack of activity. This puts more stress and strain on your heart as well as increases blood pressure for some people. This doesn’t just affect your heart; all our body’s organs also depend on the movement of fluid, and thus exercise, for optimal functioning and health.
Often when people say they want to lose weight what they ultimately mean is they want to be lean. There is a common misconception about the connection between being lean and actual weight. Muscle mass is actually much heavier than fat. Your muscles are constantly burning fat, even while we are sitting and sleeping. The most effective way to tone our bodies is to build muscle mass. If you focus just on burning fat, your body adapts by becoming more efficient at storing fat. The best way to build lean muscle is to do fast movements—like sprinting. If we look at the animal world, the fastest animals are the leanest. However one should be careful as fast paced exercises also have the greatest risk of injury.
Your body continually adapts to your lifestyle and it’s imposed demands. So, in life and in your exercise routine, what you ask your body to do is what it becomes accustomed to. It’s best to maintain steady, low intensity physical activity throughout the day, complimented by short bursts of high intensity. Your exercise routine should provide specific stressors to stimulate adaptation while your normal activity regulates your health by keeping the body, and it’s fluids, moving.
Tips and highlights:
- Do: Variety in exercise is best for your body; explore your range of motion, movements and activities.
- Don’t: You shouldn’t avoid pain during exercise. If you have chronic pain, it’s best to work through it in a loving way. For acute pain, you should let your body rest and consult a doctor.
- Do: Push yourself to the limits on occasion—this tells your body it needs to step up.
- Don’t: Refrain from over-exercise; eventually you’re just stressing your body.
- Do: Low-intensity activity with short bursts of high-intensity to maintain healthy body functioning and to build lean muscle.
- Do: Ideally, your activities and exercises will include components of strength, flexibility, endurance and coordination. Adjust each of these components to adjust figure, physique and performance.
- Do: A healthy diet is a critical component to fitness and it is important to maintain a nutritious, balanced diet.
- Do: Exercise and movement is expression. Be creative, enjoy the work of exercise and express yourself and your vitality!
