Health and Fitness Go Hand in Hand

 Health and fitness are two things that go hand in hand. Fitness focuses on endurance, strength, and flexibility. While health encompasses many other things like a healthy diet and sleep.

To reap the benefits of exercise you should try to get 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week. This means activities that make you breathe faster and feel warmer but not so intense that you can’t talk or sing.

Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercise -- continuous, rhythmic activity using large muscles that increases your heart rate -- strengthens the health of your lungs and heart (cardiovascular system). It improves your endurance and helps you manage your weight and control blood pressure. It also reduces your risk of diabetes and certain cancers and makes you feel better emotionally.

Walking, jogging, biking and swimming are common aerobic exercises that don't require special equipment. If you're not used to exercising or have a chronic health condition, talk with your doctor before starting a new fitness plan.

To prevent overdoing your workout, start with a warmup and cooldown session that doesn't include static stretching. Always track your exertion and if you notice any signs of overexertion, stop.

Strength Training

Strength training -- using weights, rubber bands or your body weight -- is a great way to strengthen and tone muscles. Guidelines recommend doing whole-body workouts that target major muscle groups at least twice per week. You can gradually increase the number of sets, reps and exercises for each muscle group as you get stronger.

Regular strength training can help protect joints from injury and improve balance, reducing the risk of falls in older adults. It can also increase bone density and improve metabolism, helping with weight management. Talk to your GP or obstetrician or maternal health nurse before starting a new exercise program during pregnancy.

Flexibility Exercises

Incorporating a variety of stretching exercises into your exercise routine supports healthy joint and muscle movement. It eases the pain and stiffness of arthritis, increases healthy blood flow to muscles and joints, and can help reduce stress.

Stretching boosts your body’s flexibility, or the ability of your muscles and tendons to lengthen. This allows your body to move more freely in different directions and can help you reach, bend or lift more easily.

Dynamic stretching is often performed as part of a workout or athletic warm-up, such as running stretches before a game to improve hip mobility and elasticity. It’s also a common component of yoga, where you perform active stretches with your own movements.

Balance Exercises

Balance exercises strengthen the core and stabilize muscles to improve posture, reduce back pain, and prevent falls. They also improve coordination, agility, and sports performance. [7] Balance training can even help sedentary people avoid twists, sprains, and ligament injuries.

Standing balancing exercises are beginner-friendly for fitness newbies, and they can be made safer by holding on to a counter or wall. More advanced balance training exercises such as the pistol squat require core strength and lower body stability. They also boost attention and concentration, relieve tension, and induce inner calm. [9] These benefits can help a person live longer, feel less stress, and improve their quality of life.

Weight Training

Weight training increases muscle mass, which in turn burns more calories. This is why it’s often recommended as part of any fitness routine. While many people associate weight training with a gym, it can also include resistance bands, barbells, a heavy backpack, or even just your own bodyweight (try squats, lunges, planks, and pushups). If you are new to strength training, consider starting with a physical therapist, a personal trainer at the gym, or in a supervised class such as yoga or Pilates. Aim for two or three days of weight training a week, with rest days in between. You can gradually work up to four or more days as your strength improves.

Staying Motivated

Keeping motivated can be difficult, but the rewards of making healthy lifestyle changes can be worth it. Setting goals, rewarding yourself, mixing up your routine, getting enough sleep, finding a support system, scheduling recovery days and staying positive can help you stay motivated on your health journey.

Remember that it's okay to take a break from exercise when you need it. Just make sure you get back into your routine soon so you don't lose momentum. You should also celebrate every accomplishment, no matter how small. A new workout outfit, a nice dinner out or an activity you enjoy can be a great reward.