Exercise is a life style,  say experts.  Exercise not only helps reduce excess fat and weight, it also helps prevent numerous life threatening conditions such as heart related complications, osteoporosis, obesity and diabetes. To get most benefits, one needs to know the best way to do it. This is dependant on one’s weight, age and health.

Children 10-16

Dr. Kenneth Cooper is the founder of Aerobics and has authored various children’s’ fitness books. He explains that because children decline in their physical activities between the age of 10 to 16, yet their appetite increases at this time, they are at risk of obesity.

This age group requires activities that are exciting and interactive such as team sports, dancing, step classes, wrestling, basket ball, soccer and gymnastics.

Middle age – 27 - 37

At this age, weight loss begins to be an unending struggle. It is best recommended for both men and woman to maintain their weight while at this stage.

The best exercises for this age group are; swimming, dancing, playing tennis, working out with exercise videos, they will effectively help them to maintain weight and increase overall health.

The Lancet Neurology, an online journal states that middle aged people who are physically active have reduced the risk of Dementia, Leukaemia and other diseases associated with aging.

40 and above

At the age of 40 and above, it’s important that women realize that their joints are aging as well. This calls for modifying your exercise intensity and routine in keeping with the physical, physiological and hormonal natural changes that occur at this time.

An Aerobic routine coupled with strength training, a healthy diet and stretching have been proven to replace the lost muscle, get the body’s metabolism renewed, keep the weight constant, reduce post menopausal symptoms, lower blood pressure and reduce cholesterol.

In addition, Aerobics reduces the risk of breast cancer and kidney stones. It also reduces on the stress and improves sleeping patterns.

Besides Aerobics, low impact exercises are also good for people who are in the age bracket of 40 and above because they burn a high number of calories. These are walking, biking and swimming.

Pregnant women

Pregnancy is another situation that needs routine exercising though in most cases pregnant women use the excuse of fragility not to workout. 

Swimming is the best recommended exercise. It helps stretching and making joints flexible which eases labour.

Swimming also keeps the blood flow normal and persistent. Many expectant women’s feet swell as a result of uneven blood flow; in this case swimming is the only remedy.

Remedy for overweight

Walking is the most effective exercise for losing weight. Its 55 per cent effective if done routinely and effectively.

Aerobic classes are also popular for losing weight; they can burn a large amount of energy in a single session.

Aerobics are 30 per cent effective for weight loss.

The sauna is also recommendable for losing weight. Apart from burning calories, the sauna reduces stress, eases blood flow and rids the body of toxins.

Should people with heart problems exercise?

According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), people who have had heart attacks can only increase their chances of survival by changing their habits to include regular physical activities.

Exercise can increase the ratio of the so called ‘good to bad cholesterol.’ In fact exercise for people who experience heart attacks can help control their blood pressure which causes hypertension.

People with heart related complications should walk swim as well and even jog once in a while. However, people who experience heart attacks are recommended to visit the doctor before and after trying new exercises.

Exercising can help increase weight

In Africa, having some bit of weight is deemed necessary especially for the women. On many occasions, very skinny girls yearn to put on some reasonable weight though they are not sure on how to achieve it.

Exercising is one way that can make one gain weight. The best exercises to gain weight are jogging, aerobics, skipping and swimming. After any of the above exercises, one must make sure that they eat foods that are rich in proteins.

Despite of the benefits, exercises have risks but there are ways to reduce the risks. The most common risk is injury to the muscles and joints; this can be solved by not exercising too hard and to have limited hours of exercise.

We have also heard of people who have died while exercising, these are especially people with congenital heart defects. People with these conditions should routinely visit their physicians to check their heart conditions.

The benefits of exercising far outweigh the risks and is one of the surest ways to a healthy body and mind.

Contact: lillianean@yahoo.com