Health
January 29, 2008 04:48 PM
beingwell magazine Winter 2008
By: Dave Kiernan
If you resolved this is the year you’re going to get fit, there’s a “SMART” way to go about it.
First, it’s important to set your goals, advises Jessie Boogaard, a kinesiologist with Southlake Regional Health Centre’s cardiac rehabiliation program.
She suggests using an approach called SMART (Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant and Timely) not only to set your fitness goals, but also to devise an action plan for achieving and reviewing those goals.
Your exercise plan “should be specific, not general in nature, measurable in some way, attainable, meaningful to you and have a specific timeframe for completion”, Ms Boogaard explains. “It’s as easy as 1-2-3.”
Second, devise the action plan needed to achieve the goal and, finally, review the goal on a regular basis, she adds.
An important component of any fitness regime is aerobic exercise, according to the experts, because it contributes to heart health — lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol and reducing your chance of developing diabetes.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends aerobic exercise three to five days every week for 20 to 60 minutes, according to Julie Matthews, also a member of Southlake’s kinesiolgist team.
If you haven’t been exercising regularly, she advises starting off at the low end of this range and gradually increasing the time and frequency of your exercise sessions.
“Avoid the mistake of going at it too hard,” Ms Matthews says. “The ‘talk test’ is the easiest way of knowing if you’re pushing too hard. If you can’t exercise and talk, then you need to slow down.”
Be sure to always include a warm-up and cool-down session in your routine. Five to 10 minutes of easy, low-intensity movements that mimic your exercises should be done before and after aerobic training, Ms Matthews adds.
A well-balanced exercise routine should also include resistance training, Southlake kinesiologist Michelle Williams says.
“As we get older, our bodies begin to lose muscle, which lowers our metabolism. So, including resistance training will not only make you stronger, but helps you control your weight.”
She suggests choosing eight to 10 exercises that target the major muscles; the chest, shoulders, arms, abdomen, legs and back. Start off performing one set of eight to 12 repetitions, gradually increasing to two to three sets.
“Choose a weight that allows you to maintain good form,” Ms Williams adds. “The weight should be lifted and lowered smoothly and under control. Try counting three seconds up and then three seconds down.
“And don’t hold your breath as this can lead to spikes in your blood pressure.”
She suggests incorporating weights into your regime two to three times each week, with one full day of rest between sessions.
Finally, be sure to include stretching in your workout.
“Greatly misunderstood and often poorly executed, this key component should be included in each exercise session you complete,” Southlake kinesiologist John Andreucci says. “Stretching is an activity that, when done correctly, can be done by almost anyone and with a little bit of imagination, anywhere.”
Stretching increases the range of motion in your joints, which makes doing regular, daily activities easier effort. As we age, our flexibility decreases; stretching helps to slow this process.
It’s best to stretch at the end of your workout, he adds, when your muscles are warmed-up and less prone to damage.
“Stretch until you feel some mild discomfort, not until there is pain. Hold the stretches, not your breath, for at least 15 seconds, repeating them two to four times, resting about 30 seconds between stretches,” Mr. Andreucci says.
If you are unsure about any aspect of a program or movement, seek the advice of a well-trained, certified instructor. And, of course, check with your physician before beginning any exercise program.
Make the most of your workout
A well-balanced exercise routine includes:
• Warm-up and cool-down — five to 10 minutes of low-intensity movements before and after aerobic exercise;
• Aerobic exercise — get your hard beating three to five days every week, for 20 to 60 minutes;
• Resistance training — do two to three sets of eight to10 exercises targeting your major muscle groups, in repetitions of eight to 12. Do this two to three times a week, with a full day of rest between sessions; and
• Stretching — following your workout, target each muscle two to four times with gentle stretches of about 15 seconds in length. Rest about 30 seconds between stretches.