Exercise can improve health. But before I jump into how to plan our exercise safely, I want to discuss briefly exercising with medical conditions.
If we have a pre-existing medical condition it may be best to check with our GP before we start any exercising programme. Some exercise are more suitable than others on us. They can contradict and eventually require medication.
Heart condition
When we exercise we increase the body flow and breathing rate and these changes can cause our heart to work harder. Therefore we have to workout with our capabilities. Any activity undertaken should be done with a steady peace and progress gradually.
High blood pressure
When we start exercise, the blood pressure increases due to the increased blood flow. As we warm up the blood flow become easier and blood pressure does down again. Is is essential therefore, that a person with a high blood pressure complete a steady warm-up to adjust to the exercise activity. This will prevent the blood pressure raising further.
People with this condition, should avoid activities with hands up for a long period of time, such as shoulder press, planks or wall sits. This is because, when the hands are held above the head for a period of time, the heart have to work harder to pump up blood upwards against gravity. During this excesses, the muscle tissues are held tense and it makes it more difficult for the blood to flow. It further raise up the blood pressure and put a strain on the heart as it has to work harder.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a condition where blood sugars are high and with use of the medication the blood sugar is allowed into the cells where it is used to create energy.
Exercise also leads to more blood sugars entering the cells and it may trigger reduced need for medication. A person with diabetes should always consult their doctor before taking on any exercise programme.
Back problems
Exercise can actually improve back health by strengthening the muscle and spine within its core. There are, however, some exercise which should be avoided by those with back problems. These are compression exercises such as shoulder press or leg press. This is because they cause compression through the spine.
Shoulder press include lifting weights above the head while standing up or sitting.
The leg press involves increased force from pushing the weight with the feet that puts direct pressure on the lower spine. For those with back problems it would be unsafe (contradicted) and controversial.
Controversial and contradicted exercises
Controversial exercises pose safety questions. They may include straight leg sit ups, squat thrusts, hurdle stretch, back extension, double leg lifts or deep knee bends.
Because of the safety concerns, these are generally avoided during training programmes.
It is essential therefore to complete pre-excercise screening before staring any programme.
It is to identify reasons why we should exercise with caution. This is to ensure, we can avoid any future harm or complications.
Our general health, current medication, current regularity of exercise, specific illnesses or health problems, family medical history and specific sport injuries should be taken into consideration.
A pre-excercise screening questionnaire can be used. It is also called PAR-Q (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire) form.
Safe exercise
When planning a training programme we must ensure it is safe. In this case SPORT principle can be used.
S - Specificity - training need to be specific to the fitness component. for example improving flexibility by stretching exercises, or improved stamina by cardio exercises.
P - Progression - as the fitness improves the amount of activity will generally increase to provide body with increased stress to gain more fitness
O - Overload - overload cause progression, this can be applied by FIIT principles
R - Reversibility - after 48 hours of inactivity, the body looses any training adaptations gained, therefore training three to four times a week with breaks between the sessions helps to ensure training gains. Reversibility is caused by long periods of lower level training.
T - Tedium - or boredom needs to be avoided to keep us motivated. We should use variety of different training to make it more interesting.
FITT principle (Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type)
FIIT principle is used to guide the development of fitness and exercise plans in line with individuals needs. It helps to provide Overload. Successful increasement in frequency, duration or intensity will also improve motivation and progress.
Changing the type of training will keep the sessions varied, interesting and enjoyable.
The Frequency of training should be considered when planning ant fitness activities. We have to ensure that we avoid Reversibility and take rest days. Rest days allow the muscle to repair and recover. The more intense training sessions, the more rest will be required.
Intensity refers to how hard we are working. The live, speed, weight, heart rate will determine that. For example the intensity of resistance programme of muscular strength will be determined by the weights used and number of reps completed. The intensity of flexibility programme, on the other hand, will be determined by the type of stretch used.
Time refers to the duration of the session and how long the session lasts. A training session need to last long enough for it to be effective. It can be determined by the level of participation (beginner, intermediate or advanced), training method (continuous or interval), the goal and, of course, the time available.
The Type of training must be specific to the goal. It will depend on the cost as well on what we enjoy.
Warm up and cool-down
Every training session should include warm up (preparation), Main activity and cool-down to ring heart rate and breathing to normal.
A warm-up should take from 5 to 15 minutes. It will depend on the fitness level, outside temperature and time available. The more well-trained we are the quicker our body responds to warm up. Mobility exercises during warm up will lubricate the joints. We also need to increase our heart rate in preparation for main exercise and stretch through the muscles. This gets us ready for the main activity.
Mobility exercises are movements that become small and gradually become larger to take the joints through a range of motion. The aim of it is to lubricate the joints and they must start small and increase in time. Warm ups allows to improve the range of movement and prepare the mind and body for the main exercise. These include head turns, shoulder rolls, arm circles, side bends, knee raises, small squats and ankle circles.
Plus raising activities aim to gradually increase the heart rate and breathing rate in preparation for the main activity. They should become small and allow to increase the heart rate gradually. For example, marking, walking, side stepping, stepping up and down, high knee rises, gentle jogging.
Often mobility exercises and puts raising exercises are combined together. For example side stepping while completing arm circles, or walking while rolling the shoulders.
Stretching may only be carried out when mobility and pulse raising exercises are completed and the muscle have become warm. Stretching will prepare the muscle for a range of movements and it can prevent injury. Stretching in a warm-up should be complete stood up as sits or luting stretches will lower the heart rate.
We should stretch all main muscle groups. Also, holding each stretch for at least 10 seconds and release the stretch slowly.
Static stretches include no movement and include chest stretches, back stretches, shoulder stretch, tricep stretch, front thigh, back thigh, inner thigh and calf stretch.
Dynamic stretches include controlled movement and therefore help to keep the heart rate elevated. We need to ensure, that these movements are controlled to avoid injury.
While stretching, the heart rate can become lower. Therefore we should re-warm to keep the heart rate and breathing at the optimum level to prepare for main exercise. We can use purse raiser and bigger movements can be used to warm up.
Main activity
The main activity should reflect on what we want to achieve. Our aim may be to improve fitness (aerobic fitness, strength, flexibility, weight loss) or certain skills within a sport ( practice techniques and ability).
Cool down
The aim of cool down is to bring the heart rate and breathing to normal. An active cool down could involve light aerobic activities such as gentle jogging or marching. It is prescribed that cool down should be perform at approx 30% of maximum ability. This helps to lower the heart rate while maintaining good circulation of blood. If we do not complete a cool down the muscle immediately stop contracting and blood circulation would stop too quickly. This would result in insufficient blood flow and lack of oxygen in the brain (lightheadedness or fainting).
Carrying out a cool down after each session will flush oxygenated blood through the muscles, bring nutrients and oxygen into the muscle, flush waste products out of the muscles and finally, improve recovery.
Unfortunately, conflicting evidence exists on whether stretches can be a good method of cooling down. But the possible effects of stretching can be: realigning muscle fibres, reduce muscle soreness, reduced lactic acid build up, improved flexibility and avoiding injury.
We should stretch to the point of tension and not beyond, as well as relax and breath during the stretching. Hold each stretch for 30 seconds and do not bounce.
Sights that we are exercising too hard
As much as an exercise can provide many benefits, exercising too hard or too often can be detrimental. Sights that we exercise beyond our ability:
* dehydration
* rapid heartbeat
* dizziness
* difficulty sleeping
* fatigue and lower energy levels
* sugar cravings
* weiht gain
* muscle and joint pain
* feeling tired and irritable after workout
* frequent sickness
* disrupted menstrual circles
* chest pain
* hormone imbalance
* injury
To avoid injury the activity levels must be suitable for our fitness level and skills as well as suitable warm-up must be performed. contradicting activities should be avoided and correct posture and techniques shall be used. We must also remember of the rest days to recover and avoid overuse.
Good posture can balance the way our body works promoting efficiency. Poor posture is due to misalignment of the joints and muscles in the body. Poor posture can result in muscular pain and aches as well affect the way we digest the food and efficiency of blood flow through our body.
Poor exercise techniques can also affect our posture, for example when lifting too much weight. If the weight is too heavy relevant muscles cannot cope on their own so other muscles are recruited instead to hold the weight.
We need to ensure our exercise is safe. It need to involve smooth movement, good balance throughout the body and steady, controlled breathing pattern. Smooth movements ensure that our muscles are not exposed to a strain. Good balance and posture can also prevent injury. We need to consider our feet hip-wide apart either side by side or one feet in from of another, knees always slightly bent, our back is straight, stomach pulled in, shoulders down and chin with chest up not looking down.
We should also not hold our breath during exercise because it increases the pressure within the body.
Balanced workout
Muscles work in pairs. If muscles on each side of the body work equally it improves our posture and muscle balance. If our exercise programme is unbalanced, it may results is some muscles become firmer and some weaker. This would affect the posture in the future and result in aches and muscle pain as well as back pains.
We need to ensure to incorporate rest days into our programme. It allows for muscle to heal and strengthen the muscle fibre formation. Along with good nutrition it will become quick and efficient.
If the exercise is too frequent, the muscles will not have enough time to rest that can cause pain and eventually injuries.
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