Hopefully by now (after seven articles) you are convinced of the need for regular physical activity.
This week’s article will outline a simple way to begin (and/or maintain) your regular exercise program. As with any type of physical activity, you should check with your medical doctor before beginning a program.
As the previous articles have discussed, your exercise program should include cardiovascular endurance exercises, muscular strength and endurance exercises and flexibility exercises.
Therefore, the following information can be modified to meet your individual needs for each of the components mentioned above.
Also, I highly recommend that you seek out the advice of an exercise professional when beginning or revising your exercise program.
This person can give you the individualized advice that cannot be provided in an article such as this one.
When addressing your exercise program, one way to keep track of your progress is to use the F.I.T.T. principle — frequency, intensity, time and type.
The frequency of the activity is relative to the type of activity.
However, some form of activity should be done on most, if not all, days of the week.
For endurance type activities, a regimen of three to four days per week is ideal.
For muscular strength and endurance activities two to three days is recommended.
And flexibility activities can be done most days of the week.
The intensity of the activity should be very individualized. For endurance activities you can monitor your heart rate to determine if you are exercising hard enough.
Exercising at about 60–70 percent of your maximal heart rate is ideal for someone who is just beginning an activity program; these percentages can be higher for people who have been exercising for a long time.
Heart rate formula
A simple way to determine your exercising heart rate is to use the following formula: 220 – your age = Predicted Maximal Heart Rate (PMHR).
Then take your PMHR and multiply this number by 60 percent and you will have Target Heart Rate for your activity.
For example: formula for a 40-year-old (220 – 40 = 180; 180 x 0.60 = 108). Thus this person’s target heart rate would be around 110 and you would seek to keep your heart rate around 110 for the duration of the activity.
The intensity of muscular strength and endurance activities cannot be adequately addressed in this article.
In general, a person needs to determine the maximum amount of weight they can lift and then create a set of exercises using a percentage of this maximum to gain the most benefit.
Strength training exercises can be harmful if not done appropriately, so seek out professional assistance before beginning a program.
The intensity of flexibility activities can be assessed by stretching to a point of mild discomfort.
This mild discomfort should not cause pain, and the discomfort should go away as soon as the stretching activity is complete.
The amount of time to spend in each activity is important.
And the amount of time spent in each of the components is directly dependent upon the intensity of the activity.
Typically, for endurance activities, spending 20–60 minutes will provide the most benefit.
The amount of time spent during muscular strength and endurance activities is determined by the number of sets and repetitions you will do — but these workouts can be done in as little as 20 minutes.
Each stretch done during the flexibility portion of a workout should be held between 15–30 seconds to gain the most benefit.
The type of the activity is arguably the most important aspect of the F.I.T.T. principle.
If you choose an activity that you enjoy, then you are much more likely to continue to do this activity than if you choose something you don’t like.
Thus, I feel that choosing something you like determines and directly influences the frequency, intensity and time of the activity.
The F.I.T.T. principle is extremely helpful in creating and/or maintaining your physical bodies.
And remember, as mentioned in the first article in this series, possibly the strongest message we have of the importance of taking care of our physical bodies is that the full revelation of God’s presence to us was in the form of a human, physical being — Jesus Christ. So get moving, because your body belongs to the Lord.
Editor’s Note — Along with maintaining a proper exercise program, healthy eating habits and daily devotional/prayer times are also essential for an overall healthy lifestyle.
For information and resources about each of these areas, visit The Alabama Baptist Online at www.thealabamabaptist.org and go to the life issues section.
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