Well today’s
topic is exercise. Yay! I’m sure many of us hardly ever go to the gym. We say we do
or that maybe we just don’t have enough time to go because we are busy. So when we say we “exercise,” we mean, “I walked up
the stairs" or "I walked to my car that’s far away from campus, so today I’m
deciding to take the elevator.” Technically this type of activity can be
considered exercise. However it is a physical activity, exercise is planned, structured,
and repetitive. Walking up the stairs to your class is considered a physical
activity because there is no structure or planning in it that makes it “exercise.”
It’s just something we do that doesn’t make us overly tired (well depending on
how many flight of stairs there is). I just hope by the end of this post you'll like to exercise. Try to have positive thoughts when you go to the gym, don't be like the lady in the comic above. What helps me stay positive and focused is listening to music when I work out.
:)
Now before you start
breaking a sweat in the gym you should know several things about working out.
As they say “Check yourself before you wreck yourself.”
Before you enter the Gym you will most likely enter these
stages of thought:
1.
Precontemplation- “I should probably workout.” ( you know you should, but you never do)
2. Contemplation-“Well…I signed up for the gym, so
I should go…but I’m too busy.”
3. Preparation- “Ok let’s make time in my schedule
to go to the gym. Now I have to see what I should work on.”
4. Action- "Okay I’m going to the gym even if it means
my whole body will be sore"
It's important to know, what kind of work out you need to do before you start using the equipment. Well there are 5 components of health to keep in mind:
1. Cardiorespiratory- It makes the heart stronger and improves the entire function of the cardiorespiratory system. This can be developed by walking, jogging, cycling and other rhythmic movements.
2.
Muscle Strength (MS)- "It is the amount of force a muscle can produce with maximum effort." In other words, our muscles are very important. We need the strength in our muscles to do recreational activities, have proper alignment in all of our body composition.
3.
Muscle Endurance (ME)- Means "the ability to resist fatigue, and how long you could hold a muscle contraction over a period of time or repetitively."
4.
Flexibility- Basically flexibility means how can you make parts of your body move in full motion. So make sure you stretch so you won't make your joints so stiff.
5.
Body Composition- This refers to the proportion of fat-free mass (muscle, bone, and water) in your body.
We need these components of
health because they all work together to make our body healthier in every way.
Before we start our workout guide. Let's put our components of health to work together with the FITT principal. FITT stand for the following:
- F-Frequency: How long should I work out for especially for each component of health?
- I-Intensity: How long should I do my exercise for?
- T-Time: When should I go to the gym?
- T-Type: You should do exercises that work out your body in different way.
Beginner’s Workout Guide
|
Cardiorespiratory Endurance Training
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Muscle Strength/ Endurance
Training
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Flexibility Training
|
3-5 days per week
|
2-3 days nonconsecutive/ per week
|
2-3 days per week (minimum)
5-7 days per week (max)
|
Work out 55/65-90% of maximum heart rate
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Work out enough to resist fatigue of muscles
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Stretch to the point of tension. Warm up your body then work out, then stretch afterwards.
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20-60 minutes in sessions lasting 10 minutes or more
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8-12 repetitions of each exercise, 1 or more sets
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2-4 repetitions of each exercise held for 15-30 seconds
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Do exercises that work out your
cardiorespiratory system
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Work out your major muscle groups
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Stretch for all of your major joints
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You need to know these major muscle groups when you work out because each muscle is important and has a function.
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