It is not hard to get fit and stay fit. The old idea that being fit meant getting up at dawn, taking a cold shower, running long distances to work up a sweat and exercising to the point of exhaustion, is now completely devalued. The trouble is, the myths and misconceptions persist. People still believe, for example, that exercise only starts to do you good when it hurts. Precisely the reverse is true if it is hurting, it is probably doing you harm. During the last three decades there has been a revolution in thinking about physical fitness. It started when doctors and other experts began to investigate not how much exercise an individual needed to take to be fit, but how less can work. The results were amazing that whole range of different tiring and complicated exercises were unnecessary and few simple exercises were sufficient to achieve and maintain all-round fitness. It is discovered that burn up 300 calories a day in physical activity helps to prevent gain weight and raising the heart rate to 120 beats a minute for at least three minutes every day to exercise the cardiovascular system. Many people fulfill these requirements during the course of a normal working day. A busy housewife, for example, bending and reaching to dust the house, walking to the shops, carrying her bags home herself and then doing the ironing, almost certainly completes the schedule. There are many home workouts for the average reasonably active persons who really want to lose weight.
Room running.
It is possible to have a good run even in a small house or flat. If you don’t mind being seen by neighbors, you can include any paths outside the building, otherwise set up a track around one or more rooms, moving the odd piece of furniture if necessary. Set off at a gentle jogging pace you can keep up. If you get out of breath, slow down to a walk until you get your breath back. If you really short of space, run on the spot, preferably on carpet, raising your feet at least four inches off the ground.
Dancing.
The aim of this part of the home workout(which should last five minutes) is to move about vigorously, extending muscles further than before, burning up energy and mobilizing fat from your body reserves. Vigorous disco dancing is ideal, and other types of dancing are almost as good if they are done at a brisk tempo. If you like, choreograph your routine. It is important to keep moving, so if you find yourself getting really out of breath, slow down to half tempo for a minute, then continue at the faster speed. Play some music with a strong beat at a moderate speed. Walk sideways to the left following the rhythm of the music, clapping to the beat as you go. Take four to eight steps and walk back again. Do this six times. This should get you used to the rhythm.
Stair climbing.
Your aim should be to walk up a total of about 100 steps in two and a half minutes. In practice this will probably mean going up one flight between six and ten times. If the 100 steps take you less than two minutes, you are doing well. If there no stairs where you live, you can get a similar effect by stepping on and off a low stool, or more strenuously, a chair. Alternate your leading foot. This exercise is more strenuous because there is no period of rest equivalent to going downstairs. Try to keep going for a full minute, rest and do more. If you find this too difficult do room running instead.
Skipping.
This section lasts two and a half minutes. Skipping is a demanding exercise which burns up two or three times as many calories per minute as jogging. It requires skill. Even people reasonably fit may find it difficult to begin with, and will have to concentrate on developing their skill. Begin with the basic skipping step: feet together, weight on the balls of the feet, arms at the side, knees slightly bent. Practice about 50 skips without the rope. Then start skipping with the rope, remembering to start with it behind your feet avoiding the common mistake of jumping too soon and getting your legs tangled in the rope. It exercises the heart and lungs as well as the legs, arms, chest and shoulders.
Filled Under: Fitness