How to Improve Your Health and Become Fit
program. The important thing to health and fitness is getting good cardiovascular conditioning,
developing stronger muscles, and building your strength and endurance.
You can't buy those, but you can earn them with a regular program that promotes your good health and fitness.
Good health and fitness are important goals if you want a long, happy life.
If you follow these basic guidelines, you can get all the exercise you need to improve your
physical condition and psychological health. Use them to come up with your health and fitness program.
1. Select an aerobic exercise that's fun for you and that you can do indoors or outside.
Choose from jogging, hiking, walking, running, playing soccer or tennis, or in-line skating. Cardiovascular conditioning or aerobic exercises can help you attain a total body workout, so be
sure that, whatever you do, it's vigorous and sustained. Make sure your heart rate goes up and
stays up for at least 20 minutes.
2. Use exercise videos to learn new exercises and have a leader to follow. There are many
interesting and innovative videos on the market today that offer a wide variety of activities, all of
them designed to improve your health and fitness. If you can imagine it, someone's made a
video to show you how and keep you moving! Much less expensive than a gym or equipment, these videos give a great workout and some pretty good entertainment. Examples in addition to
programs designed for specific parts of the body include kickboxing, body rock, belly dancing,
power yoga, and salsa dancing.
3. Change the way you do things around the house and get a good workout. Instead of
using your power lawn mower, use a push mower. Vacuum the whole house. Shovel snow from your driveway and sidewalks. Carry your laundry basket or your groceries up and down the
stairs a few times. Wear weights around your ankles and wrists as you go about your daily
routine. There are many small ways to improve your health and fitness without even noticing it!
4. Turn on your favorite dance music and dance. See if you can do ballroom or hip hop. No
need to be embarrassed - no one's watching. Just have fun. Try some modern dance. This is a great way to get some exercise, improve your health and fitness, and relieve stress.
5. Organize active social events. Get your friends to join you in a game of touch football.
Shoot a few baskets with the boys. Join a soccer team. Get a friend to take dancing lessons
with you. Play racquetball. Use exercise as a way to build relationships and have a more active social life.
6. Organize any game activities with your friends. It can include kickball, football, basketball,
soccer, and more. Other activities that promote muscle workouts through body movements are also a good option.
7. Skip rope with the kids! This is a very inexpensive and fun cardiovascular workout!
8. Rediscover your local parks. Many of them have fitness trails you can follow with
recommended exercises, instructions, and goals. There's no excuse now. It's all laid out before you. All you have to do is get in motion. These are just a few suggestions among a million things you could do to improve your health
and fitness. Perhaps you've had some ideas of your own as you read the suggestions. Give
them a try. Before you start any new exercise routine, keep these tips in mind:
* Never start any exercise at full-tilt. It's important to warm up and cool down when you're
doing a workout. You can't have perfect health and fitness in one day. It's a process. Be patient. Start slow and work into a more vigorous routine. And ALWAYS do stretches before and after
your workout.
* Try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. Vary activities so you don't get bored
with one thing. Keep it interesting, but keep doing it no matter what. Great health and fitness are not an overnight proposition. And staying fit and healthy is a lifestyle, not a project.
* Make sure you're using the proper clothing and equipment for the exercise you've chosen. Otherwise, you may injure yourself and delay the steady progress you hope for. When you dress, think of the temperature, whether inside or out. If you're exercising outside, be sure
to wear proper clothing for the conditions. And if you can't exercise outside, you can still pursue
your health and fitness program indoors.
* Get a friend to join you. The buddy system is very effective for health and fitness programs.
It makes exercising more fun and gives you a chance for some social time. It also makes it more
likely that you'll stick to the program in the long run. You may even spark some healthy
competition that will improve both of you!
cross-train. Change the exercises you do every day. Change the length of time you do them. Keep some variety in your health and fitness program to prevent boredom and injury.
* Always consult your health care provider before you start a new health and fitness
program to be sure your plans support your unique physical circumstances. That way,
you can't work against your own body. Your health care provider can recommend exercises that will strengthen you where you're weakest without creating severe or long-term problems.
* Don't stop at exercise. A comprehensive health and fitness program will include a healthy,
well-balanced diet. Reduce the sweets and increase the vitamins and minerals. Don't go to the grocery store hungry, and take a well-thought-out list that includes plenty of variety and delicious
meals with you.
These suggestions are not hard to follow, but they do require discipline and commitment if your health and fitness program is to succeed. Good health and a well-toned body are within your
reach. All you have to do is work for them. The benefits are without value - you'll live a longer,
happier, better quality life
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