Exercise
How to make your heart and mind happy…
Have you ever had those days? Does everything seem like a struggle? Those are the days that the body increases your heart rate and blood pressure, and releases stress-related hormones, all of which can lead to chronic stress and eventually heart complications. When a person experiences chronic levels of stress the feelings of fatigue, irritation, and mental fog become a part of every day life.
Research has shown that cardiovascular exercise actually stimulates stress-reducing hormones in the body. These hormones help to reduce the harmful effects of chronic stress by reducing heart rate, blood pressure, and allowing improved mental functioning.
So, what is cardiovascular exercise? Cardiovascular exercise, also known as aerobic exercise, consists of exercising at a mid-level of intensity for an extended period of time.
Biking, running, swimming, and even walking for 20-30 minutes a day, 3-4 times a week can help increase cardiovascular endurance. This in turn can decrease those unhealthy hormones and build up the stress reducing ones. This change in the body can ultimately help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and create a happy, healthy mind and body.
Developing an exercise program:
How much is just right? Too easy and you may not be getting optimal benefit. Too hard and you could be asking for injury or burnout. Remember that the overall difficulty of an aerobic exercise program is a function of Frequency (how many times per week), Duration (how long) and Intensity (how hard). A very common mistake is trying to increase all 3 at once.
The following recommendations focus on the average exerciser relatively new to exercise. Low to moderate intensity exercise is safe to do every day. This is where the beginning exerciser should spend most of their time. What does moderate intensity feel like? You should have a light sweat and increased heart and breathing rate but no so much that you couldn’t hold a conversation. Gradually increase your duration until you can do 30-60 minutes of sustained exercise (~10-11on RPE scale below). Once you have achieved this try mixing in 3-4 short periods (30-60 seconds) of higher intensity (RPE of ~13-14) exercise followed by full recovery where you feel rested and it is easy to talk again.
This can be very effective for boosting fitness and burning calories while keeping risk of injury low. The Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) can help gauge intensity and is summarized below.
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Exercise, Getting Started!
You want to start an exercise program. But, you’re not sure how? Maybe you haven’t exercised regularly in quite a while? Not to worry…everyone can benefit from light to moderate exercise. Here a few tips to get started:
- Pick something you like and start slowly. If you’re comfortable walking 15 minutes at a time, start there and increase your walking time by about 10% per week.
- Keep your intensity moderate; which is equivalent to walking a mile in 15-20 minutes on flat ground.
- Exercise with your Lighten Up 4 Life team for fun and safety. This can help you help each other stick to the program.
- Buy shoes with good support and cushioning and that fit your foot well. Consult your local running shop for help. Buy Running shoes for running and buy walking shoes for walking. Before buying a pair of shoes, have your foot measured and fitted to insure a good fit.
- Consult with your doctor if you have known heart or lung disease or if you are older than 55 (for women) and 45 (for men) and meet 2 or more of the following criteria:
- Family history of heart problems
- Smoker
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Sedentary lifestyle
You should consult with your doctor before beginning any exercise program if you have any health problems.
Brought to you by Mission Rehab and Sports Clinic; Offering Outpatient Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Services for all ages and activity levels.
Locations in Asheville 828 213-0850 and Weaverville 828 645-6925 Click here for more information and directions.
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Asheville GreenWorks, formally known as Quality Forward, features walking trails and routes through Asheville and the county. Download the Walking Guide.
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