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Physical exercise will improve your natural health and fitness. Physical exercise is part of healthy living.
Anybody interested in natural health should regularly participate in moderate forms of physical exercise like fitness
walking. An active lifestyle is even better than physical exercise in improving your natural health and fitness.
Highlights of Physical Exercise, Natural Health and Fitness
- Physical exercise strengthens your body and makes it more fit and resilient.
- Exercise and physical activity will improve your health and fitness.[2]
- Physical exercise is an imperative for the older adult.
- Use it or lose it!
- Rule of Aging: The physical and mental functions that we keep using thrive, while those we fail to use regularly
diminish.
- The biggest impact on your health and fitness will come from aerobic exercise.
- The benefits of anaerobic exercise will be very important in your eighties, nineties, and beyond.
- prevention of sarcopenia (the loss of lean body mass)[3]
- Physical exercise is a biological factor of the mind - body connection.
- Biological factors affect both your body and mind.
"Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness."
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Overview of Introducing Physical Exercise, Natural Health and Fitness
INTRODUCTION Since the beginning of time, survival has been a daily struggle.
Simply staying alive was physically demanding. Yet, humans in industrialized societies over the last 150 years
have become spoiled. We, now, live in our minds so much of the time that we have almost forgotten that we have
a body. Many people work in offices who make their living by reading, writing, speaking, and thinking, but seldom
by physical labor.
From the natural health point of view, regular physical exercise does the body good.[3],[4] Physical exercise
empowers natural health advocates to take active measures to combat disuse atrophy.[2] If you have a natural health
attitude taking the car to cross the road is out, and a workout in the gym three or four times a week is in.
Our bodies are designed to be used. Failure to use them results in your muscles deteriorating, at a steady and
progressive rate. Thus, everyone should develop good, sensible habits of exercise that they can stick to for the
rest of their lives.[4] You should pay attention to four different kinds of exercise: an active lifestyle, aerobic,
anaerobic, and functional exercises.[1],[2],[3],[4]
The objective of exercise is to improve your physical fitness. Thus, if what you are doing does not improve
either your cardiovascular fitness or your muscular strength, then it should not be considered as physical exercise.
AN ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
Historically, except for the last 150 years, the demands of daily life gave everybody all the physical exercise
that they really needed to get. People used to walk constantly, and lift and carry burdens. They used to walk to
gather food, to work, to the market, and they walked to do virtually everything.
Find ways to make many of your ordinary activities more vigorous. Since man was meant to walk, the easiest way
to increase your overall fitness is to choose to walk at every opportunity possible. Walking is really an ideal
and natural form of physical exercise that anyone can routinely participate in.[4],[5],[6] Walking, also, provides
for direct contact with the elements of nature. Walking tones muscles, improves fitness, circulation, appetite,
and breathing. Walking is a load-bearing exercise.[4] Walking, also, calms and clears the mind and helps reduce
stress and tension. Walking helps to keep your mind centered.
On Fitness: "It's a way of life."
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Always do something physical every day, for at least 30 minutes.[3] Choose to walk instead of driving short
distances. Choose to take the stairs instead of using the elevator. Try doing yard work, working on your car, and
cleaning your house too. Participating regularly in some type of physical recreation is even better.
"You don't get old from calendar years.
You get old from quitting doing things."
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An active lifestyle is always better than exercise in improving your personal health and fitness.
AEROBIC EXERCISE
Aerobic activity is long in duration, but low in intensity. Aerobic exercise elevates the heart rate and breathing
for a sustained period. Aerobic activity improves the efficiency of your heart and lungs, helps control weight,
and increases muscle and joint flexibility. Aerobic exercise will improve your health and fitness.
Common examples of aerobic activities include: aerobic classes, aerobic dancing, basketball, bicycling, brisk
walking, calisthenics, cross-country skiing, dancing, downhill skiing, exercise classes, hiking uphill, jogging,
jumping rope, racquetball, roller skating, rowing, running, running in place, singles tennis, squash, stair climbing,
stationary cycling, step exercise classes, swimming, volleyball, and walking,
Aerobic dancing is very popular in the wellness
movement, today. There are many different kinds of aerobic dance classes available to choose from that range from
floor aerobics, step aerobics, dance workouts, muscle toning, to kick boxing. Simply try a few out and find a style
that agrees with you.
Aerobics is the form of physical exercise, that most people need to concentrate on first. It should leave you
feeling that you have labored with your heart beating faster and your breathing stimulated.
Aerobic exercise will improve your health and fitness.
ANAEROBIC EXERCISE
There is more to physical exercise than just cardiovascular fitness. Muscle strength is an equally important
component to overall natural health and fitness. Anaerobic activities are short in duration, and emphasize building
muscle, rather than burning oxygen.
Anaerobic activities include: football, pushups, sit-ups, soccer, softball, sprinting, weight lifting.
There are three primary benefits from strength training.
Maintain and Enhance Lean Muscle Weight - Everybody loses a half pound of muscle for each year that they age
past 20, if they do not incorporate some type of strength training into their exercise routine.
Injury Prevention and Increased Capacity - Strengthening your major muscle groups will diminish the stress of
impact forces and lessen the risk of exercise-related injury. Strong muscles also help everyone to do daily tasks
with ease and efficiency. Daily activities such as climbing stairs, getting out of bed, lifting groceries, cleaning
the house, and mowing the lawn all become easier to do.
Prevention of Osteoporosis - Most anaerobic activities are load-bearing exercises that promote bone growth.
Criticisms of Strength Training - Many in the wellness
movement think that it is pointless to build bigger muscles. They claim that bodybuilding is based on isolating
muscles and working each area of the body individually rather than treating the body as the integrated whole that
it is. According to them people do not want to bulk up, but rather desire the long thin muscles of a dancer.
In reality, both females and the older adult will be hard pressed to ever end up looking like a professional
bodybuilder. Being too thin is neither attractive, nor healthy for the older person. Trying to build bigger muscles
on your lower body will enable you to avoid a primary characteristic of old age called skinny legs. Anaerobic exercise
will, also, improve your health and fitness. It is vital for maintaining independence in your old age. Maintaining
physical independence and a high quality of life throughout your old age by developing muscle mass and strength
is your ultimate goal.
Intelligent bodybuilding addresses all of the criticisms of the wellness movement
- Concentrate on doing basic or complex exercises that work large muscle groups, as opposed to working isolated
muscles.
- Periodically rotate through different exercises and weight machines in order to work your muscles from different
angles.
- Include the use of free weights, as well as calisthenic exercises.
- Do multiple sets of eight or more repetitions of each exercise.
"You can eat perfectly but if you don't exercise, you cannot get by. There are so many health food nuts
out there that eat nothing but natural foods but they don't exercise and they look terrible. Then there are other
people who exercise like a son-of-a-gun but eat a lot of junk. They look pretty good because the exercise is king.
Nutrition is queen. Put them together and you've got a kingdom!"
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FUNCTIONAL EXERCISE
Functional exercise is the latest exercise lingo that can be used to explain the recent exercise fads of the
wellness movement, as well as the free weights vs. machine controversy in the bodybuilding community.
Functional exercise is concerned with doing real-life activities in real-life positions. They are body-weight
exercises. This form of exercise teaches your body to control and balance your own body weight. They help you develop
kinesthetic awareness and body control. These exercises are easily learned from a video or from participation in
a group class. They have the advantage of being easily performed in the privacy of your own home without requiring
a lot of special equipment.
"What is balance of body and mind? It is the conscious control of all muscular movements of the body. It
is the correct utilization and application of the leverage principles afforded by the bones comprising the skeletal
framework of the body, a complete knowledge of the mechanism of the body, and a full understanding of the principles
of equilibrium and gravity as applied to the movements of the body in motion, at rest and in sleep."
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Nevertheless, working out on a Swiss balance ball is not anymore real-life or natural than bodybuilding with
weight machines are. Functional exercises simply take a different approach to exercise.
Yoga - Both yoga and Pilates are being heavily hyped in bookstores as well as in the health community.
Both terms can mean almost anything, today. The goal in yoga is not to become an authentic yogi recluse, but rather
to increase your current level of activity. And, to increase your enjoyment out of life. Yoga has flaws which a
number of different individuals have attempted to improve upon over the years. In its most basic form, yoga is
about stretching, as well as learning to balance and move your body weight around. Breathing exercises can be added
to increase your level of relaxation. But, most modern forms of yoga do not stress meditation. You can practice
a number of different styles that emphasis flexibility, relaxation, or strength.
Yoga is basically another word for stretching that is used primarily to increase your level of flexibility.
All stretching routines can be considered a variation upon yoga. You will never be able to fully participate in
an organized yoga routine, however, unless your body is limber enough to perform a number of basic yoga positions.
Hence, working on basic stretching is probably the best place for people to start their practice of yoga.
Tai Chi - Tai
chi is great for developing your sense of balance and level of coordination. It is a form of moving meditation
which is particularly good for the elderly and others who are physically unfit.
All forms of exercise that tend to place emphases upon movement, balance, and coordination can be considered
a variation of tai chi; such as Qi gong, movement styles of yoga, and even robotic pantomime. Tai chi is about
performing a number of fixed movements in a fixed sequence that is usually referred to as the short form. Hence,
being familiar with these tai chi movements in advanced will greatly help you get through your first class.
Pilates - Six basic principles apply to every Pilates
exercise: breathing, precision, centering, flowing movement, control, and concentration. Pilates matwork incorporates
elements of dance, yoga, and gymnastics; and emphasizes movement and core abdominal strength. This popular workout
is the functional exercise that is most likely to improve your strength and to develop muscle mass.
All functional exercises that try to build strength can be considered a variation of Pilates; such as strength
styles of yoga, like power yoga, or various combinations of Pilates and yoga.
Beginners can start out with any book
or video on Pilates. However, modern Pilates is designed not to be very physically demanding. Joseph
Pilates' classical matwork of 34 exercises offers a very physically demanding workout, for those up to the
challenge.
Swiss Ball - All Swiss, gymball, exercise, stability, gymnastic, or flexiball
excise routines can be classified as an unique form of functional exercise. This form of functional exercise has
evolved to include the use of Swiss balls, balance boards, and other tools that help to create an unstable training
environment.
Free Weights - Working out with free weights is a weight-control exercise.
Machine based strength training is the most efficient way to improve your strength and develop muscle mass. But,
the price of working out with machines is that the exercise movements are very unnatural since the exerciser does
not have to deal with the issues of balance, control, and exercise form. Adding basic free weight anaerobic exercise
routines to your exercise program will force your body to deal with balancing and controlling the free weights
as well as proper exercise form. Dumbbell free weight exercises can also be performed on a Swiss ball for better
body-weight control.
In conclusion: from the Natural Health Perspective natural health is about promoting wellness
and fitness through the natural therapies of eating a healthy diet,
taking nutritional supplements, reaping the benefits
of exercise, and having a healthy attitude
and resilience in your life. While diet is the foundation
of Natural Health, only exercise develops and maintains fitness . Do not forget that exercise is only one part
of the Natural Health Perspective. Exercise and diet are moderately difficult to carry out and offer mid-level
rewards.
References
- "A balance of resistance training and aerobic training is recommended for decreasing morbidity and mortality."
Winett RA, Carpinelli RN. Examining the validity of exercise guidelines for the prevention of morbidity and all-cause
mortality. Ann Behav Med. 2000 Summer;22(3):237-45. Review. PMID: 11126469
- "CONCLUSIONS--These data demonstrate a graded inverse relationship between total physical activity and
mortality. Furthermore, vigorous activities but not nonvigorous activities were associated with longevity. These
findings pertain only to all-cause mortality; nonvigorous exercise has been shown to benefit other aspects of health."
Lee IM, Hsieh CC, Paffenbarger RS Jr. Exercise intensity and longevity in men. The Harvard Alumni Health Study.
JAMA. 1995 Apr 19;273(15):1179-84. PMID: 7707624
- "There are many benefits to maintaining an active lifestyle as women age. These benefits include maintenance
of bone mineral density and prevention of osteoporosis, decreased susceptibility to falls, and decreased susceptibility
to breast cancer and other chronic diseases. There are great psychologic benefits to maintaining an active lifestyle,
and the connection between cardiovascular fitness and lowering the incidence of cardiac disease is well established.
... The Centers for Disease Control recommends at least 30 minutes of moderately intensive activity on most days
of the week. In older women, the loss of lean body mass (sarcopenia) can be diminished through a strength training
program."
Curl WW. Aging and exercise: are they compatible in women? Clin Orthop. 2000 Mar;(372):151-8. Review. PMID: 10738424
- "Regular physical exercise is useful at all ages. In the elderly, even a gentle exercise program consisting
of walking, bicycling, playing golf if performed constantly increases longevity by preventing the onset of the
main diseases or alleviating the handicaps they may have caused. Cardiovascular diseases, which represent the main
cause of death in the elderly, and osteoporosis, a disabling disease potentially capable of shortening life expectancy,
benefit from physical exercise which if performed regularly well before the start of old age may help to prevent
them."
Pentimone F, Del Corso L. [Why regular physical activity favors longevity]. Minerva Med. 1998 Jun;89(6):197-201.
PMID: 9739351
- "Exercise reported as walking, stair climbing, and sports play related inversely to total mortality, primarily
to death due to cardiovascular or respiratory causes. Death rates declined steadily as energy expended on such
activity increased from less than 500 to 3500 kcal per week, beyond which rates increased slightly. Rates were
one quarter to one third lower among alumni expending 2000 or more kcal during exercise per week than among less
active men."
Paffenbarger RS Jr, Hyde RT, Wing AL, Physical activity, all-cause mortality, and longevity of college alumni.
N Engl J Med. 1986 Mar 6;314(10):605-13. PMID: 3945246
- "Based on reported frequency and duration of walking, weekly energy expenditure in exercise walking was
estimated to be 1127 +/- 783 kcal.wk-1. These data suggest that the self-selected exercise intensity of healthy,
habitual exercise walkers meets the American College Sports Medicine's recommendation for improvement of cardiorespiratory
fitness. These data further suggest that, in this population, the average weekly energy expended through walking
reaches a level associated with improvements in health and longevity."
Spelman CC, Pate RR, Macera CA, Self-selected exercise intensity of habitual walkers. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1993
Oct;25(10):1174-9. PMID: 8231763
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