How Much Exercise is Enough to Meet Your Goals?

It depends on whether you want to lose weight, increase endurance, or reach other fitness milestones. Learn about exercise guidelines and the importance of determining your exercise goals.

Before you make a decision on how much exercise you need, you should have a good idea of your exercise goal or goals: Are you exercising for physical fitness, weight control, or as a way of keeping your stress levels low?

Exercise: How Much You Need

"How much exercise is enough for what?," asks David Bassett, Jr., PhD, a professor in the department of exercise, sport, and leisure studies at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

For general health benefits, a routine of daily walking may be sufficient, says Susan Joy, MD, director of the Women's Sports Health Program at the Cleveland Clinic.

If your goal is more specific — say, to lower your blood pressure, improve your cardiovascular fitness, or lose weight — you'll need either more exercise or a higher intensity of exercise. So figure out your goals first, then determine what type of exercise will help you meet them and how much of that particular exercise you'll need to do.

Current Exercise Guidelines for Americans

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, everyone needs two types of physical activity each week: aerobics and muscle-strengthening activities. Aerobic activity involves repetitive use of the large muscles to temporarily increase heart rate and respiration. When repeated regularly, aerobic activity improves cardio-respiratory fitness. Running, brisk walking, swimming, and cycling are all forms of aerobic activity.

Muscle-strengthening activities are designed to work one or more muscle groups. All of the major muscle groups — legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms — should be worked on two or more days each week. Lifting weights, working with resistance bands, and doing push-ups are all are forms of muscle-strengthening activities.

Adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week, in addition to muscle-strengthening activities. If activity is more vigorous in intensity, 75 minutes a week may be enough. For even greater health benefits, though, more activity is better: 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or a mix of the two.

It's best to be active throughout the week, rather than concentrating all of your physical activity in one day. That means 30 to 60 minutes of exercise, five days a week. You can break it up into even smaller chunks: three brief periods of physical activity a day, for example. In order for it to be effective in improving health and fitness, you need to be sure to sustain the activity for at least 10 minutes at a time.

Exercise: What You Need to Lose or Maintain Weight

A combination of dieting and exercise is more effective for weight loss than dieting alone. To lose weight, 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity on most days is recommended. Physical activity is also important to maintain weight loss. Moderate intensity physical activity for 60 to 90 minutes on most days will help maintain weight loss. Of course, a healthful, low-calorie diet is also important for both losing and maintaining weight. The amount of exercise you need for weight loss or weight control depends on what you eat, as well as on the type of exercise you choose.

Know what you want to achieve, and then you can answer the question: How much exercise is enough?

Learn more about healthy lifestyles and women's health at www.mtauburnobgyn.com 

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Source:  http://www.everydayhealth.com/fitness/basics/how-much-exercise-do-i-need.aspx?xid=tw_weightloss_o_b177 

Jump in the Pool for Arthritis Relief

Swimming for ankylosing spondylitis can give you a great workout without stressing your aching joints. Here's why you should take the plunge.

Physicians and physical therapists agree that swimming with ankylosing spondylitis is one of the best things a person can do when dealing with this arthritic spinal condition.  General fitness, strength, flexibility, and range of motion are all benefits of a pool workout.

While in the pool with ankylosing spondylitis, you no longer have to work against gravity to move around. The water causes you to float, so in waist-deep water, you are about half your normal weight.  Also, water is 12 times more resistant than air.  It all adds up to this -- when you do water exercises for ankylosing spondylitis, your muscles have to work 12 times harder than they would on land, but, at the same time, your joints are relieved of gravity's constant stress so you don't feel it.

"The buoyancy of the water helps unload the joints in your legs and spine, and the warmth of the water can relieve pain," said Eric Robertson, PT, DPT, OCS, a physical therapist in the Denver area.  "Just simply being in the water and kicking your legs or walking back and forth is really an amazing exercise.  And, you also have the water resistance, so you can have aerobic exercise that can be pretty intense."

Swimming with ankylosing spondylitis can be intimidating, particularly if you're in pain or have a limited range of motion.  However, there are a lot of exercises you can do in the pool for ankylosing spondylitis that don't involve swimming.  These include:

• Water Aerobics
• Water Walking
• Front Crawl
• Back Stroke

Always consult your doctor before swimming with ankylosing spondylitis to get the advice on the type of water exercise that would benefit you most.  Some strokes, like the breast stroke, can be beneficial by strengthening your back and shoulder muscles, but it can also put excessive stress on the neck and lower back.  As far as intensity of exercise, listen to your body and pursue as vigorous a workout as possible that does not cause additional pain.  

For more information, check out the Spondylitis Association of America

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Source:  http://www.everydayhealth.com/conditions/water-exercises-for-arthritis/?xid=tw_everydayhealth_sf 

Learning to Swim at Any Age

Does your little minnow seem eager to swim? Here are the signs that he's really ready, plus a guide to which class is right for his age.

If your little puppy takes to water like a guppy, it may be time to sign up for swim classes. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), swimming instruction definitely isn’t a must-do by toddlerhood — and it isn’t for every tot, either, so don’t force the issue. But if your sweetie seems ready for splashing in something bigger than the bath, there’s no reason to postpone learning to swim. In fact, some evidence suggests that children over age one may be less likely to drown if they have had formal swimming lessons — definitely a compelling case for signing up your munchkin sooner than later.

How will you know if the time is right? If your child is good at following directions, physically coordinated so he can kick and paddle at the same time, and emotionally ready (read: not afraid of the water), all swim signs point to go. In that case, look for a swimming-readiness program that’ll teach him the basic moves — how to float, for instance, and dog paddle. Look for small classes (fewer than six students) with instructors who are certified in CPR, first aid, and water safety.

A few more swim class considerations:

• For little ones six-months to age three, seek parent-and-child aquatics classes (most local community centers offer one) led by trained professionals who teach water entry and exit, bubble blowing, front kicking, and back floating. They should also provide water-safety instruction for you.
• For swimmers ages three and four, you can try programs that hold classes for kids both with and without parents. Try to find one that focuses on safe pool behavior as well as paddling and kicking.
• For four- and five-year-olds who are already accustomed to water, consider classes that run up to 30 minutes over an eight- to ten-week period so kids can build on foundational skills and eventually move on to coordinating movement of the arms and legs.

The most important lesson about swim classes -- they don’t protect a child from drowning, and they’re never a substitute for constant adult supervision in the water. Parents should always remain within arm’s distance when a child is near or in a body of water. Also note a substitute for that all-important supervision: floaties, water wings, or inner tubes. While these swimming aids are fine if you’re in the water right next to your tot, they can’t be counted on to keep her safe.

Source:  http://www.whattoexpect.com/family/learning-to-swim-age-by-age