Kenneth Gardner - Fitness club
Understanding the physiological basis and wellness benefits of physical fitness is the first step towards creating a well-rounded exercise programme. Selecting the activities you enjoy most and making an outline of your objectives will surely help to put your programme into perspective.
The following information provides a step-by-step plan that guides you through the creation of an exercise programme that's right for you.
Set objectives
Setting clear objectives to be achieved through exercise is a crucial first step. Begin by asking yourself, "What do I want to achieve from my fitness programme?" Develop different types of goals, general and specific, long term and short term. The general and long-term goals should entail things like lowering your risk for chronic disease, improving posture and developing strength.
It is also essential to develop some specific, short-term goals that are measurable. Specific goals might include lowering your BMI (body mass index), reducing the time it takes you to jog two miles and increasing the number of push-ups you can do from 15 to 25. Having specific goals will enable you to track your progress and enjoy the measurable changes brought about by your fitness programme.
Do assessment tests
Fitness assessment tests are also essential to determining your goals. They help you to decide which types of exercises are right for you, and allow you to understand therelative difficulty of attaining specific goals. If you have health problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, arthritis, or serious joint or muscle disabilities, consult your physician before taking the assessment tests.
Individuals will find it easier to stick with their programme if they choose goals that are both important to them and realistic. Keep in mind that individual factors such as heredity and your current fitness level will influence the amount of improvement you make and the ultimate level of fitness you can expect to obtain through physical training.
Improvements in fitness levels are usually noticeable during the first six months of an exercise programme. After that, gains come more slowly and usually require a higher intensity programme. Don't expect the improvements to be indefinite. Start by improving your fitness to a reasonable target level and then train consistently to maintain it.
Select activities
Carefully choose the activities you intend to add to your programme. It is best if you include exercises to develop each of the health-related components of physical fitness.
1. Muscular strength and muscular endurance are developed by training against resistance, that is, weightlifting.
2. Cardiorespiratory endurance is developed by activities such as walking, running and aerobic workouts that involve continuous rhythmic movements of large muscle groups like those found in the legs.
3. Flexibility is developed by stretching the major muscle groups.
4. Healthy body composition can be developed by combining a sensible diet and a programme of regular exercise. This will include cardiorespiratory endurance exercises to burn calories and resistance training to build muscle mass.
Ensure that all the activities you've added to the programme will develop all the fitness components and help you to achieve your goals. One recommended strategy is to select an activity for each component of fitness; for example, bicycling to develop cardio-respiratory endurance, weight training to develop muscular strength and stretching to develop flexibility.
Your fitness programme is much more likely to be successful if you choose activities that you enjoy doing. Make a list of all the activities you currently engage in and enjoy. At times, modify your current activities to fit your fitness programme. If you select activities that you enjoy rather than activities that turn exercise into a chore, the right programme will be its own incentive for continuing.
Kenneth Gardner is an exercise physiologist at the G. C. Foster College of Physical Education: email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
