If losing weight with exercise isn’t enough to get you motivated, how about the idea of looking and feeling younger? Numerous studies point to exercise as a way to avoid some of the more unpleasant aspects of aging. Some studies even show that exercise can improve the health of people who have already developed age related diseases.
Like good nutrition, the key to maximizing the benefits of an exercise program is to make sure it is well rounded.
There are four types of exercises that should be included in your weight loss exercise routines:
Endurance. Activities that cause your breathing and heart rate to increase are called endurance exercises. Increasing endurance not only makes your heart, lungs, and circulation more efficient, it makes daily activities such as doing housework and keeping up with the kids easier.
Strength. Weight training increases the efficiency of your muscles making them stronger. Research has shown that increasing the resting metabolic rate of your muscles through strength training can improve weight loss and help you maintain long-term weight control. Strength training is also associated with preventing osteoporosis and helping to maintain blood glucose levels.
Flexibility. Though often not thought of as exercise, stretching helps keep muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments healthy and working efficiently. As flexibility increases, your risk of strains and other muscle injuries decrease while the ease with which you turn and move increases.
Balance. Staying upright on ladders, stairs, or rocky terrain is a complex process which deteriorates as we age. Reducing the risk of falls by doing balance exercises will reduce your risk of breaks and other fall related injuries.
A well rounded exercise program will include all of these exercise types. Talk with our weight management team for exercise ideas or to help you develop a comprehensive exercise program.