The Right Type Of Exercise For You
The NHS guidelines for cardiovascular exercise for health benefits for people aged between 19-64 are to do-
At least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity such as cycling or brisk walking every week.
and
Strength exercises on two or more days a week that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms).
or
75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, such as running or a game of singles tennis every week.
and
Strength exercises on two or more days a week that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms).
or
A mix of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity every week. For example, two 30-minute runs plus 30 minutes of brisk walking equates to 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity.
and
Strength exercises on two or more days a week that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms).
A good rule is that one minute of vigorous activity provides the same health benefits as two minutes of moderate activity.
One way to do your recommended 150 minutes of weekly physical activity is to do 30 minutes on five days every week.
All adults should also break up long periods of sitting with light activity.
This is taken from the NHS website.
In our social media driven crazy world we are told to do this for great abs, or pump like a frog for great glutes but what should we really be doing? I have outlined the above for what the government recommends, This is to keep our bodies healthy but is it to loose weight, or gain muscle...what should you really be doing?
As with diet there are certain things you should definitely do and some things you should definitely not do, likes and dislikes and its the same with exercise.The most important thing i think is making exercise enjoyable.
I don't make any client of mine do something they hate unless it is absolutely vital and there is no other as safe effective exercise or method. For me the best exercise is one you like, this is why with the Silver and Gold packages i assesses your current lifestyle and work with you to do what you should be doing to achieve your goal but in a way you enjoy. With our Bronze members i am hopefully giving you all the information you need to do this yourself.
When you read the article on the right diet HERE, we talked about energy balance, for a minute look at your food as fuel and your body as a machine. You are the machine using the fuel and what the machine does is what makes the change. Now you have to look after the machine right?
Cardio exercise keeps us healthy, its vital for our cardiovascular and circulatory system NOT just a weight loss tool, it kind of keeps the machine oiled.
Muscular strength and endurance training is like maintenance of the machine, keeping our bones and muscles healthy and supporting the machine in its every day life...have I lost you yet?
The point is we need to be healthy inside and out, its not just about looking great but also feeling great, And that includes our mental health too. I train because its my time, my time to relax and think and re focus amongst the craziness of motherhood, Although i am aware that exercise doesn't do this for everyone!
So why would you do something you don't enjoy? Why not achieve your goal, get fitter, get stronger in a way which you love?
Follow the guidelines, break it into smaller chunks if you need to, get all your cardio in in steps or running around after the kids, make it work for you, alongside YOUR diet and for YOUR goals.
For physical health
For mental health
For you.