|
 What is the Best Exercise For Women?
Adding an exercise routine but do not know where to start or which type is best for you? Is it aerobic you need or muscular fitness? Maybe you health demands a stretching routine or you need to focus on core or balance training. Go no further, Nancy Christie, the beFit columnist makes it easy providing expert advice to help you narrow this down and get you started. Our beFit columnist, Nancy Christie, is a professional health and wellness writer, writes a column at thebeList.com every Friday to help you stay fit and active. Weekly, she provides the best exercise for women always adding exercise tips for losing weight. Learn more about Nancy at our beTeam page.
So let's get you get started or regular exercising with an enjoyable and beneficial routine. It sounds like a lot to add to an already busy schedule," said John Rowley, author of Climb Your Ladder of Success Without Running Out of Gas!: The Simple Truth on How to Revitalize Your Body and Ignite Your Energy for Lifelong Success. John is also the Wellness Director for the International Sports Science Association (ISSA). But the trick is to make your exercise routine part of your lifestyle. Just don’t overdo it, specially when it comes to cardio and weight-training, added Rowley. “If you are training pretty intensely, it is a good rule not to train more than two days in a row and then take a rest day.
”Planning a workout routine?" Cover all five components for the best exercise benefits.
• Aerobic (cardio or endurance training)
• Muscular Fitness (strength training or resistance training)
• Stretching (flexibility)
• Core
• Balance training
Training Tips from the Experts
Muscular Fitness
Without regular strength-training, you can start losing bone in your late teens, warns Pam Peeke, MD, MPH, author of Body for Life for Women providing fitness advice for women, and spokesperson for the American College of Sports Medicine’s “Exercise IS Medicine” global campaign. “Make sure that you’re hitting some level of strength training no less than twice a week.”
Work the chest, shoulders and triceps one day, then the back and biceps the next time. Aim for a 30-minute session, using three different exercises for the chest and shoulders, four for the back and two for the triceps and biceps.
Aerobic
The best time for cardio workouts is either first thing in the morning, said Rowley, or right after weight training, when your body has used up your store of glycogen (blood sugar) and will then be burning fat.
Options include walking, running, swimming or biking—anything to get your heart rate up. And be sure to vary the intensity level during the 30-minute session for best results.
Stretching
After 30, your body becomes les flexible, making it critical to add 15 to 20 minutes of stretching to your daily routine.
“Stretching improves your range of motion and posture and relieves stress,” said Dr. Peeke. “But always warm up by walking or doing some low-intensity exercises for 5 to 10 minutes beforehand. And stretching after a workout is integral.”
Core
A strong core does more than give you a flat belly. It also protects your back, keeps your spine upright and vertical, and enables you to use your use upper and lower body muscles more effectively, said Dr. Peeke. Your core workout should engage the entire area: your lower, mid and upper ab muscles, external obliques (the side muscles) and rectus abdominus (the muscle down the middle).
Yoga, Pilates, large exercise and smaller core or medicine balls and ab machines will challenge your ab muscles, as do floor exercises such as crunches and bicycling.
Balance training
Balance exercises focus on stability. (Not sure if you need them? Stand on one leg with the other bent at the knee and close your eyes. Can you keep your balance without tipping?)
A Bosu ball workout (with or without weights) and martial arts such as tai chi are excellent at teaching you balance, said Dr. Peeke, since many maneuvers are done on one leg.
By following a healthy eating plan and a workout routine covering all five areas, said Dr. Peeke, you’ll set up a foundation for a powerful and fit body for years.
Sources
 John Rowley
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH
www.drpeeke.com
|
