Hoodia Fitness & Tips

Aerobic Activity

Aerobic exercise is essential for your cardiovascular system and is an important part of weight management. Aerobic exercise can be as simple as taking a walk.

• Weight-bearing aerobic exercises include walking, jogging, skating and dancing to music. Aerobic exercise uses your body's large muscle groups in a continuous, rhythmic fashion for sustained periods of time.
• There are also non-weight-bearing aerobic exercises, such as cycling, swimming and rowing.
• Keep a fat-burning pace. An essential aspect of your exercise program is the intensity. You can measure your heart rate to check the intensity of your exercising
• To measure your heart rate, take your pulse as soon as you stop exercising. Count your heartbeat for 10 seconds, and then multiply that by six to convert it to a one-minute heart rate. If you keep your exercise heart rate within a range of 55 percent to 80 percent of an estimated maximum heart rate (220 minus your age), you're burning fat.
• How often should you exercise? Three to four days of aerobic activity is essential for general health maintenance. If you're trying to lose weight, aim for five to six days a week, being sure you take off at least one day a week
• How long should you exercise? A minimum of 20 minutes of exercise per session is good for general health maintenance. For weight loss, gradually work up to 45 minutes per session.

• Most people lose about one-half pound of muscle per year after the age of 20, mainly due to decreased activity.

• Muscle tissue is partly responsible for the number of calories burned when the body is at rest (the basal metabolic rate or BMR). As muscle mass increases, BMR increases, making it easier to maintain a healthy body weight.
• Whether you pick calisthenics, free weights or machines, be sure that your strength training includes exercises for every major muscle group, including the muscles of the arms, chest, back, abdomen, hips and legs.
• Start with a weight that is comfortable to handle and complete eight repetitions. Gradually add more repetitions until you can complete 12 repetitions.
• For greater strength conditioning, add more weight and/or more repetitions. Try three sets with 8-12 repetitions, and then move to another muscle.

Flexibility exercises are needed to maintain joint range of motion, reduce the risk of injury and alleviate muscle soreness.

• Flexibility training is often overlooked but is very important to your health. It improves posture, increases mental and physical relaxation, reduces muscle tension and soreness and reduces risk of injury.
• Before stretching, take a few minutes to warm up since stretching cold muscles could cause injury. Begin with a simple, low-intensity warm-up, such as easy walking while moving the arms in a wide circle. Spend at least 5 to 10 minutes warming up prior to stretching.
• When stretching, hold the stretch statically for 10 to 30 seconds while you breathe normally. Like strength conditioning, flexibility exercises should include stretching for all the major muscle groups.
• Ideally, at least 30 minutes, three times per week, should be spent on flexibility training. But even five minutes of stretching at the end of your exercise session is better than not stretching at all.
• All aerobic activity should always be followed by at least a few minutes of stretching.

One last thing before you begin . . .

Always consult with your doctor before beginning any exercise program, especially if you're over 40, or have cardiovascular risk factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or a family history of heart disease.