Triangle of Health: Exercise

from www.todayshealthcounselor.com

In the Triangle of Health (exercise, nutrition, and rest), exercise is the key to staying physically functional and strong to the day you die. It is the key to building muscle, staying flexible, breathing comfortably, and having a healthy heart. Many people approach exercise as something they really hate, but have to do to keep in shape. I find it works better if you learn to enjoy exercise. It's actually very enjoyable, if you manage it correctly. However, many people have the experience of P.E. class or playing a sport, where the teacher or coach pushed them so hard they hated it. If winning the game is your priority, then this makes sense. If you just want to be healthy, it is counterproductive for many people. You can be strong and fit; you can push yourself and still enjoy it. We naturally enjoy pushing the envelope. It's part of our psychology. It's only when it goes way beyond our comfort zone that we hate it. Muscles swelling, heart pumping, breathing deep, these are all naturally enjoyable things.

There are many forms of exercise, including weight lifting, aerobics, stretching, yoga, tai chi, martial arts, gymnastics, and the list goes on. The key is to learn what you enjoy, and stick with it, while at the same time giving yourself enough of a challenge and variety to avoid boredom, which is the biggest killer of your workout! I personally like weight lifting, stretching, breathing exercises, with some time on the elliptical machine and swimming and martial arts thrown in for variety. There are an endless number of possible variations, and it's fine to get creative. However, this should only be done when you've gained a fair bit of familiarity. You'll know when this happens, because you'll start to get bored with you current routine.

An example of a conventional routine would be weight lifting 3 times a week, stretching daily, with cardio 3 times a week. Guys that want to build muscle the fastest and most effective way work out a different body part each day of the week, 5 to 6 days a week. If you are like me and have other things you want to do with your time, you can actually build muscle with one intense workout a week with the weights, and do a 10 to 15 minute workout every morning which includes, among other things, push-ups, handstand push-ups, ab wheel, and stretching. The handstand push-up is definitely the most challenging of these, and it took me awhile to get it. I was not one of the guys that walked around the football field on their hands in high school! There is something fascinating about being upside down. If you're interested, start out with a headstand, and go from there. Having a wall behind you for support and balance is very helpful when you first start.

Please visit today's health counselor for more in-depth information on the Triangle of Health and other related topics.