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Fitness Plan-Introduction
Fitness Home:
Fitness Basics |
 Fitness Plan |
Fitness and Diabetes |
Fitness and Hypertension
You Don't Have To Be A Star Athlete To Get Fit
The good news about fitness is that it's never too late. No matter what your age,
you can begin gradually improving your health and well being by developing a fitness plan.
You also don't have to become a star athlete with the body of an Olympic contender to
achieve your fitness goals. Fitness is for regular all people who want to prevent disease
and maintain a healthy weight.
The minimum goal for all Americans is to accumulate 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise
over the course of the day, most days of the week.
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- Assess your current fitness status
- Exercise aerobically, for strength (resistance training) and for flexibility
- Let your target heart rate guide you
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Track and monitor your progress
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Keep It Fun, Flexible and Varied
What you do need from your fitness plan is flexibility, so that you can achieve your goals and have fun meaning that you enjoy your workout whether it's swimming in the community pool or walking regularly with a neighbor. You'll also want to allow for variety in your routine because everyone can become bored doing the same activity, day in and day out. Varying your activities or enlisting a friend or family member to participate in your plan can help you stick with it.
Convenience Counts, Patience is Everything
In addition to developing a plan that is flexible and fun, you'll want to make sure your choice
is a convenient one. Joining a health club too far from your house isn't a good idea. You might
want to consider home exercise equipment, a fitness facility or a park located near your home or
place of work.
Lastly, patience is absolutely necessary if you are going to succeed. We all face the temptation
of doing too much too quickly. But sore muscles and a red face really won't help. Don't push yourself
beyond your endurance. You don't want to hurt yourself, get too tired or discouraged. After all,
being a "weekend warrior" isn't the goal. Stamina and strength aren't built over a weekend, but
over weeks of regular physical activity.
The Three Faces of Exercise
Whatever your choice of exercise, your fitness plan needs to have three components. That's because
all exercise and movement is not the same. Here are the three types of activity you need to include:
Aerobic fitness - This will help you manage your weight and give you a healthy heart and lungs.
Muscle strength and endurance - Resistance or weight training will give you stronger muscles and bones.
Flexibility - Proper stretching will give you a full range of body motion and help you prevent injuries.
Next: Setting fitness goals
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As the world’s top supplier of commercial blood pressure monitors and health management systems, Lifeclinic is committed to helping to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals across the globe. Active monitoring of blood pressure, heart rate, weight, body fat, body mass index (BMI) and blood oxygen levels when combined with proper diet, nutrition and physical fitness can help ensure a longer, more healthy lifestyle.
© 2009 Lifeclinic International, Inc.
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