Three Components of
Great Exercise Routines
Step One: Don’t Skip The Warm Up!!
Why bother to warm up? Why not just jump right into exercise routines?
For cardiac patients and everyone, warming up before exercise lessens the stress on the heart and muscles.
Warming up gives your body a chance to slowly increase breathing, heart rate and body temperature.
And warming up improves flexibility and reduces muscle soreness after exercise.
Warming up can include:
• Stretching
• Range of motion exercise
• Starting your exercise at a very low level
Conduct your warm up activity for 5 minutes.
Step Two: Conditioning
Here‘s where the rubber meets the road—your chosen exercise to help strengthen and tone your heart and body.
Essential Elements
• How Often To Exercise.
Exercise should be done every day of the week, or at least 5 out of 7 days.
• How Hard To Work Out.
Don’t go overboard. Work out enough to get your heart rate and breathing increased.
• How Long To Exercise
Most experts say 30-40 minutes of continuous vigorous exercise is ideal. However, you can do 10 minute sessions of exercise during the day to equal 30 minutes.
If You’re Just Beginning an Exercise Program. . .
Start slow. Begin with 15 minute sessions every other day. Increase by 5 minutes a week until you have reached 30-40 minutes every day.
Remember, exercise must include the larger muscles, such as arms and legs. Vary your routine to keep from getting bored. For instance, a combination of walking, swimming and bicycling might be a good mix.
Step Three: Finish Up With A Cool Down
Letting your body cool down allows your body to recuperate from the conditioning period. During this time, heart rate, breathing and blood pressure decrease to normal levels.
It is important you do NOT stand still or lie down during a cool down, as it may make you feel lightheaded or give you palpitations.
The proper way to cool down is to:
• Gradually decrease the level of intensity of your workout.
• Do stretches and range of motion as you did in your warm up.
As with the warm up, cool down for 5 minutes.
If you include all three of these components in your exercise routine, you’ll avoid injury, fatigue, and symptoms.
A Final Note
Remember, before starting any exercise program consult with your doctor.
