We all tend to over indulge a little at Christmas and doing a little more exercise is a common New Year’s resolution. But how do you get the most out of your gym routine and how much exercise should you do to stay healthy? Chart Clinic Osteopath & Clinic Director, James Clapham tells us more.
There is no denying that exercise is
good for you. We know that those who perform a moderate amount of exercise on a
regular basis are considerably less likely to suffer from diseases such as
diabetes, stroke and heart attack or experience insomnia.
Exercise helps older people maintain
their independence and is one of the most effective methods of weight
management, a growing problem in western societies. It is also very important
for our psychological health, as it stimulates the release of endorphins,
natural pain killing chemicals that can also improve our mood.
However, some people become a little
disenchanted when the exercise they do doesn’t have the desired effect.
“Most of the time, it’s because
people are not clear on the type of exercises that are most likely to achieve
their goals” says, James Clapham. “Different types of exercise will be more
appropriate, depending on what you’re hoping to accomplish.”
“As a general rule”, he continues
“if you are trying to build larger muscles, the most effective method is to use
a weight which you can manage to lift 8-10 times before the muscles fatigue, in
order to get the desired effect. If you are looking for stronger, leaner
muscles, a weight programme based upon 20 repetitions would be more
appropriate.
If you are trying to lose weight,
cardiovascular exercise (anything that gets your heart rate up such as running,
swimming, dancing or football) is the way to go. In order to be most effective,
this should be performed at 60 – 80% of your maximum heart rate, which is a lot
less strenuous than you might think (Subtracting your age from 220 will give
you your advised maximum heart rate. You can buy a heart rate monitors from
most good sports shops or online to monitor this).
It’s also important not to train
every day. The body needs time to respond to the strain of the training, and
it’s during the recovery period that the gain takes place.”
But going to the gym for two weeks
before you go on your summer holidays to shed a few pounds is likely to end in
frustration. “It takes 4-6 weeks to start noticing the health benefits of exercise,” James advises. “Doing something you enjoy makes it more
likely that you will persist, which is important if you don’t want all that
hard work to go to waste.”
But how much exercise do you need to
do to be healthy? If you are aged between 19 and 64, research suggests that you
perform at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes of
vigorous-intensity cardiovascular exercise that is at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise, 5 days each week plus muscle strengthening
exercises on at least two separate days of that week. The good news is that
this exercises does not need to be all in one go, and activities such as
walking briskly to work (if your journey is more than 10 minutes) counts as
part of the total.
If you want to know
more about what would class as moderate or vigorous exercises, or if you are
outside of this age group, visit the NHS choices website at:http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults.aspx
