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Benefits of Combining
Various Exercises
If you're looking to start
an exercise program, you probably have a lot of questions. For example, what
exercise or exercises should you do. Well, to answer such questions, we have
to look at the purpose of exercise.
Falling Into the Single Exercise Trap:
For most people, the purpose of exercise is to get their
body in shape. For
some that means simply gaining muscle mass or
improving endurance levels. For others, though, it could
mean trying to lose a fair amount of weight. For almost everyone, though,
the goal is to get their whole body looking and feeling healthier. It would
make sense, then, that you should exercise your
entire body, if you want
your entire body to be healthier.
Many people fall into the single exercise trap. For example, they want to
get in shape, so they decide to walk every day. Walking is wonderful
exercise, but it mainly exercises the legs, not the entire body. Single
exercises like that can cause two big problems.
Problem One Joint and Muscle Stress:
When you focus too much on exercising specific muscles or joints, you put
them under unnecessary stress and, as a result, leave yourself open to the
potential for more injuries. Joints can become swollen and
painful. They can
also stiffen up quite a bit.
The result can be a dull ache that lasts for days, bruising or even a short,
sharp, stabbing pain when you put any weight on a certain spot, like the
knee joint, for example. In fact, in many cases, the knees can dislocate
entirely. That's extremely painful and can take months to
recover from.
As far as muscle stress goes, there are major issues with that, too. You can
easily tear muscles and ligaments, if you over work them. That can take
anywhere from weeks to months to heal, depending on the severity of the
problem. So, your exercise plan will be completely disrupted.
Problem Two Strength Loss:
Problem two is loss of strength in the muscles you don't exercise. If you
walk or jog every day, for example, you'll have strong
leg muscles. Your
neglected arm muscles, however, will deteriorate. Then, you'll find yourself
unable to do even the simplest of tasks without becoming tired or achy.
That's certainly not a good way to get in shape.
Mental Benefits of Combining Different Exercises:
The physical benefits of combining different exercises is clear, based on
the facts above. There's also a mental benefit to combining different
exercises, though. People tend to get mentally bored with the same thing
over and over again. Exercise routines are difficult to stick to under the
best circumstances. You'll never succeed at them if they're boring.
By combining different exercises, you'll be keeping your routines
interesting. Remember, though, adding one or more exercises doesn't
necessarily mean lack of boredom. For example, if you walk one day a week
and bike ride another and do that every week it can still turn into a boring
routine. You have to do enough different exercises each week to both
exercise all of your muscles and keep yourself entertained.
Another good way to keep exercise routines always changing and stay
interested is to do them with a buddy or a group of buddies. Exercising with
friends and changing the routine occasionally should help you to keep your
motivation. That will move you one step closer to your goal of
getting fit.
Exercise Frequency:
Another common question that people ask is
how often should one exercise.
Well, partially that depends on how fit you are to begin with. It's always a
good idea to slowly work your way into an exercise routine. Biting off more
than you can chew in the exercise department will only lead to
injuries.
Ideally, you should eventually exercise about
three days per week. You
should do different types of exercises on each of those three days. You also
should be sure to spread those days out. Although many people
exercise only
on weekends, it's not a good idea.
Weekend Warrior Problems:
People who exercise only on weekends are commonly called weekend warriors
and they have two big problems. The first is that the body needs time to
recover from workouts. It's during rest periods that the body forms new
muscle mass and repairs small muscle tears that occurs naturally during
workouts. Without those resting periods, people will quickly reach a
plateau
point where they can no longer lose weight or gain muscle.
Exercising too
much too close together can also cause general tiredness and higher risks of
injuries.
The other problem that weekend warriors or other people who exercise too
much too close together can have is that progress is undone. The body needs
rest periods, but it doesn't need week-long
vacations. Being sedentary all
week can cause you to lose muscle mass and gain fat. That reverses most, if
not all, of the good you might do on the weekends.
Moderation:
The bottom line here is that, like most things in life, exercises should be
done in moderation. You need to exercise all of your muscles, but not all at
once. Make sure that you vary your workout routines and give yourself time
to rest between them. That's the best way to optimize your results and
reduce your risks of exercise-related injuries.
The causes of muscle fatigue during exercise
You must seek approval from your doctor
before starting any new diet.
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