Types of Exercise

Exercising is an important part of a person's daily routine.  There are three different kinds of physical activity that you should incorporate into your exercise regimen.  They are: aerobic exercise, strength training, and flexibility exercises. Below are descriptions of the three different types of activities and how much of each should be performed in your routine.

The first type of exercise is aerobic.  Aerobic exercise is a cardiovascular workout which increases your heart rate, works and tones your muscles.  A good amount of aerobic exercise each day is approximately 30 minutes a day and at least five times a week. 

If you are just starting a new exercise routine, it is important to not start out too fast—it is better to start out with five or 10 minutes a day and work your way up to harder and longer aerobic exercising.  Another way to increase your activity is to break it up during the day until you have increased your endurance so that you can do 30 minutes of aerobic exercising, five times a week.  If your goal is to lose weight, then you may want to increase the amount of time spent in aerobic exercise.

The different types of aerobic exercise, some example include brisk walking, running, low-impact aerobics classes, swimming, roller blading, playing a sport, such as tennis, or spinning.

The other type of exercise is strength training.  This should be done several times a week.  Strength training helps to build strong bones and muscles, which in turn will help you to burn more calories even when you are not working out.  There are some different ways in which to strength train.  They include activities such as lifting weights, elastic bands, using plastic tubes and joining a strength training class that uses weights.

The last type of exercise is also critical to staying fit is flexibility exercising.  This is commonly referred to as stretching which helps to keep your joints flexible thus reducing the potential for injuring yourself during your other exercise routines. 

Stretching prior to working out is a good idea because it starts the blood flowing through your muscles getting them ready for a harder workout.  If you are unsure about what kinds of stretches would be good for you, it is advisable to talk with your doctor or trainer about the types of stretching would be best for you.

Having a consistent exercise routine is very important.  It is also important to keep active throughout your day.  This also helps to burn calories even when you are not 'working out'.  Activities such as walking instead of driving, taking the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator, doing yard work and housework..  All these things added up along with nutritious meals will help you to feel better and have more energy.