Guidelines for Physical Fitness

Physical fitness is of paramount importance to better health. If properly conducted, physical fitness can pay rich dividends. Let us examine certain guidelines :

Control Your Weight. The key to weight control is keeping energy intake (food) and energy output (physical activity) in balance.

Exercise plays an important role in weight control by increase energy output, calling on stored calories for extra fuel. Recent studies show that not only does exercise increase metabolism during a work out, but it causes your metabolism to stay increase for a period of time after exercise, allowing you to burn more calories.

How much exercise is needed to make a difference in your weight depends on the amount and type of activity, and on how much you eat. Aerobic exercise burns body fat. A medium-sized adult would have to walk more than 30 miles to burn up 3, 500 calories, the equivalent of one pound of fat. Although that may seem like a lot, you don’t have to walk the 30 miles all at once. Walking a mile a day for 30 days will achieve the same result, provided you don’t increase your food intake to negate the effect of walking.

If you consume 100 calories a day more than your body needs, you will gain approximately 10 pounds in a year. You could take that weight off, or keep it off, by doing 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily. The combination of exercise and diet offers the most flexible and effective approach to weight control.

Fitness Opportunity Benefits. Exercise is not just for Olympic hopefuls. In fact, you are never too unfit, too young or too load to get started. Regardless of your age, you can benefit from regular physical activity. If you are committed, exercise in combination with a sensible diet can help provide an overall sense of well-being and can even help prevent chronic illness, disability and premature death. Some of the benefits of increase activity are:-

Improved Health

• Increase efficiency of heart and lungs
• Reduced cholesterol levels
• Increase muscle strength
• Reduced blood pressure
• Reduced risk of major illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.
• Weight loss

Improved Sense of Well-Being

• More energy
• Less stress in professional activities
• Improved quality of sleep
• Improved ability to cope with stress
• Increase mental acuity

Improved Appearance

• Weight loss
• Toned muscles
• Improved posture

Increased Stamina

• Increase productivity
• Increase physical capabilities
• Less frequent injuries
• Improved immunity to minor illnesses

Mind Over Immobility. Getting moving is a challenge because today physical activity is less a part of our daily lives. There are fewer jobs that require physical exertion. We have become more of office area restricted employees, relying on machines rather than muscle to get around. In addition, we have become a nation of observers with more people (including children) spending their leisure time pursuing just that – leisure. Take the initiative to get active now