Exercise - Use it or Loss it!
TIPS FOR BETTER HEALTH!
It is important to remember that it is YOU who is ultimately responsible for your own health. It is YOU who must take the responsibility to become, stay and be healthy. Start slowly and BE PATIENT. It took time for you to get out of shape and it will take time to regain your strength, flexibility and endurance.
STRETCHING is the logical starting point for returning to an active and healthy lifestyle. It is here where we start the transition from a sedentary life style to one where we can enjoy all of what life has to offer. Your goal should be to gently reduce muscle tension and improve flexibility, not see how far you can stretch. This allows you to exercise with greater freedom of movement and reduces your chances of injury. Stretching should be done daily with several micro-breaks during the day to stretch out tight shoulder and back muscles (remember watching your cat or dog). Long hours at a desk target these areas and if you don't stretch the effected muscles to reduce muscle tension, you will most likely develop headaches, neck pain, low back and leg pain. The likelihood of developing these troubling conditions is greatly reduced by regular stretching. There are many great books available on stretching. Or you can call our office and we will help get you started. Don't wait, start stretching TODAY!
WARMING UP is the first step with active exercising. It starts shifting blood to the muscles, ligament and tendons that will be doing the work. The key to warming up is to do it slowly! Increasing blood flow to the muscles brings vital oxygen and nutrients to the muscles which they will use during exercise. It also carries away metabolic wastes that have accumulated in the muscles during periods of inactivity. Start your warm up activity slowly, 10 to 15 minutes, which will gently raise your heart rate. At that time you will be ready to start your exercise program. Don't forget to slowly cool down after exercise either. Cool down should also last 10 to 15 minutes. This slowly brings your heart rate back to normal and re-establishes normal blood circulation to your organs so they can once again do their work effectively.
WALKING is a good place to start your active exercise program. Walking uses over 200 muscles and uses all the postural muscles of the spine and hips. Walk with your feet and knees pointed straight ahead, shoulders back, and head up. Swing your arms as you move. Shoes are important so get a good pair of "walking" shoes. Walk at a brisk pace, but one where you can carry on a conversation without difficulty. If you have any health concerns or unusual pain, check with your family doctor or us before you start exercising.
