Exercise is the key to good health, that is, after eating a healthy and balanced diet. But how much exercise do you really need, say in a day, to be able to say that you are doing your best to stay fit?
How much is enough?
The amount of exercise that each person needs is basically dependent on what he wants to achieve.
A Healthy Heart
For example, if the goal or aim of the person is to maintain a healthy heart, according to health and exercise experts, even one minute of exercise will already provide minimal health benefits. Of course nobody exercises for just one minute, so let’s just say how about if we exercise for 10 to15 minutes? Well if you exercise for 10 to 15 minutes a day, this is enough to strengthen your heart. Remember that the heart is a muscle, and when it is exercised, it becomes strong. A strong heart means a strong pump, and the heart pumps the blood, remember?
Walking is a good exercise!
With a 10 to 15 minutes exercise per day, the digestive system will be able to metabolize food better. This means that the body will be able to release excess bloat faster, which in turn equips your body to burn fat better.
Remember feeling grumpy or sad for no particular reason? A 10 to 15 minute exercise everyday will not allow those “blues” to stay because exercise releases “feel-good” or happy hormones called serotonin which helps enhance mood thereby reducing stress.
To Lose Weight
If your goal is to lose weight and burn body fat, you should do 45 to 75 minutes of exercise every day for five days a week.
Where to Exercise: In the Gym or at Home?
It does not really matter where. In fact, the venue is not very important. A lot of people believe that exercising in the gym maximizes the effects. This is not true. Effective exercise does not even require gym equipments for them to be effective.
For instance, if your goal is to have a healthy heart through cardio exercises, you can do it through climbing stairs, by jogging, by taking brisk walks like walking hills. If you want to increase your cardio exercise so that you can also burn more calories, you can do high-intensity cardio like running stairs, doing sprints, and spinning. You can mix these exercises further with strength training which helps activate the core muscles. The best exercises for core muscles are Yoga, Pilates, and weight training.
Pilates
Exercise should not be treated as a chore; something that is dreaded and only possible, avoided. Instead, exercise should be viewed as a “my time”; something you do for yourself. In this busy life, most of us do things for others, at times forgetting ourselves. Exercise can be your gift to yourself. I think it will be the best gift you can give yourself – more than material things money can buy.
So try your hardest to incorporate even a few minutes every day for your exercise. Remember, 10 to 15 minutes is good enough. Live a healthier and happier life – start exercising now and have fun!
