Physical Fitness

Types of exercise for               Physical fitness

Define exercise:

                         The organized shape of physical activities or movement is called exercise.

Define Physical fitness:

                                                                 The ability to perform more in the cost of less energy is called physical fitness.

          (Types of Exercises)

1.Endurance              2.Strength

3.Balance

4.Flexibility

Most people tend to focus on one type of exercise or activity and think they’re doing enough. Research has shown that it’s important to get all four types of exercise: endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. Each one has different benefits. Doing on

            1)Endurance

Endurance activities, often referred to as aerobic, increase your breathing and heart rates. These activities help keep you healthy, improve your fitness, and help you perform the tasks you need to do every day. Endurance exercises improve the health of your heart, lungs, and circulatory system. They also can delay or prevent many diseases that are common in older adults such as diabetes, colon and breast cancers, heart disease, and others. Physical activities that build endurance include:

a. Brisk walking or jogging

b. Yard work (mowing, raking)

c. Dancing

d. Swimming

e. Biking

f. Climbing stairs or hills

           2)Strength

Your muscular strength can make a big difference. Strong muscles help you stay independent and make everyday activities feel easier, like getting up from a chair, climbing stairs, and carrying groceries. Keeping your muscles strong can help with your balance and prevent falls and fall-related injuries. You are less likely to fall when your leg and hip muscles are strong. Some people call using weight to improve your muscle strength “strength training or resistance training.

Strength training (also known as resistance exercise) increases muscle strength by making muscles work against a weight or force. Resistance exercise is considered a form of anaerobic exercise.[1]

  a.  Lifting weights

b. Carrying groceries

c. Gripping a tennis ball

d. Overhead arm curl

e. Arm curls

f. Wall push-ups

g. Lifting your body weight

h. Using a resistance band

                 3) Balance

Balance exercises help prevent falls, a common problem in older adults that can have serious consequences. Many lower-body strength exercises also will improve your balance. Balance exercises include:

Tai Chi, a "moving meditation" that involves shifting the body slowly, gently, and precisely, while breathing deeply.

Standing on one foot.

The heel-to-toe walk.

The balance walk.

Standing from a seated position.

         4)Flexibility

Stretching can improve your flexibility. Moving more freely will make it easier for you to reach down to tie your shoes or look over your shoulder when you back your car out of the driveway. Flexibility exercises include:

a. The back stretch exercise

b. The inner thigh stretch

c. The ankle stretch

d. The back of leg stretch

It is the basic component of physical fitness. Flexibility is the range of motion of joints or a sequence of joints. For example :Gymnastic events.

 

 

Safety Tips for All exercises:

I.     Do a little light activity, such as easy walking, before and after your endurance activities to warm up and cool down.

II.  Listen to your body: endurance activities should not cause dizziness, chest pain or pressure, or a feeling like heartburn.

III.Be sure to drink liquids when doing any activity that makes you sweat. If your doctor has told you to limit your fluids, be sure to check before increasing the amount of fluid you drink while exercising.

IV.If you are going to be exercising outdoors, be aware of your surroundings.

V. Dress in layers so you can add or remove clothes as needed for hot and cold weather.

VI.To prevent injuries, use safety equipment, such as a helmet when bicycling.Don’t hold your breath during strength exercises and breathe regularly.

VII.Breathe out as you lift or push, and breathe in as you relax.

VIII.Talk with your doctor if you are unsure about doing a particular exercise.

IX.Stretch when your muscles are warmed up.

X.  Stretch after endurance or strength exercises.

XI.Don’t stretch so far that it hurts.Always remember to breathe normally while holding a stretch.

xii. Talk with your doctor if you are unsure about a particular exercise.