Getting Enough Exercise? - Everyone Needs To Exercise Regularly To Maintain Optimal Health

Do you think that because you are not overweight you do not need to exercise? Wrong. Exercise, even if you not overweight will benefit your overall health and help to prevent serious diseases.

If you lead a sedentary life, increasing your physical activity will help reduce anxiety and depression, whether you are overweight or not. Mental and emotional stress, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and more can plague even those who are slim and trim.

How do you know if you are active enough? You are pronounced sedentary if you do not exercise or engage in some vigorous activity for at least 30 minutes three times a week; do not move from place to place while engaging in leisure activities; rarely walk more than 100 yards during the course of a day; if you remain seated most of your waking hours; or have a job that requires little or no physical activity.

So if you are part of the sedentary population, you need to start now and set realistic goals for your exercise program. The UC Berkeley Wellness Letter advises:"Start by adding a few minutes of increased activity to your day, and work up to 30 minutes most, and preferably all, days of the week."

When starting out you should focus on getting your workout regularly as opposed to worrying about the intensity. For a well rounded exercise program, you should eventually include some weight training and stretching exercises. Yoga and Pilates are good examples of stretching and flexibility exercises.

A lot of people find that, once they begin an exercise program and keep at it regularly, they actually look forward to their exercise time. The recommendation is 60 minutes of physical activity everyday to maintain a good level of cardiovascular health. This doesn't have to be done all at once it can be accumulated over the day.

You know there are ways to increase your activity just by doing things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking farther from your destination. Find opportunities to work in a standing position, moving around. You don't need to be sitting while having conversations with friends or family, get up and walk around.

Another thing you should do for health is to consume enough water, especially while you're exercising. If you do not stay hydrated, it can lead to a drop in blood volume and without replenishing the fluid lost through sweating, your heart has to work harder to circulate the blood.

Our bodies are designed to be engaged in physical activity regularly. We all know that there is no magic pill to replace that activity. You find time for eating and sleeping, so you must find time to exercise. It is so important to stay active for a longer and healthier life.

Anyone who needs to get fit, lose fat and gain muscle should go to Burn The Fat and check out the great information here.