| Correct weight is only a part of being fit. You and your doctor are the best judges of might be best for you depending upon your height, bone structure and age. Unfortunately standard charts produced by the medical profession don’t account for bone structure. If you are small boned, deduct 6lb (2.7kg); if you are large boned, add an extra 6lb (2.7kg). If you are around normal weight, aim for trimming up rather than slimming down. Exercise tones the body, alerts the mind, increases resilience to physical and psychological stresses, firms muscles, loosens joints, banishes stiffness and general aches and pains, builds up the efficiency of heart and lungs, lowers blood/ cholesterol, helps overcome insomnia, regulates appetite and generates a vigorous and vibrant sense of well-being. Of all the beauty routines you could adopt exercise is undoubtedly the most worthwhile. Energy generates energy. The more you move, run, stretch, jump and bend, the more vigorous and energetic you will feel. The next time lethargy descends, try overcoming apathy with activity. Take a brisk walk, jog up and down on the spot for a few minutes and see how much more alert and refreshed you feel. In addition, you should also aim to exercise fairly vigorously for at least 20 minutes three times a week. Exercise is one of the easiest things in life to find excuses not to do. Cold weather, alternative arrangements, indolence all undermines the best of intentions. So make it easy as possible for yourself. Choose a sport or activity you enjoy and set out gently. Sudden enthusiasms and frenetic bursts of activity can lead to fatigue, exhaustion, sore aching muscles, strains, sprains, even fractures- all signs that you have pushed your body too far and have asked it to do something for which it was insufficiently prepared. Your physical strength and athletic ability are largely determined by the strength of your muscles. Strong muscles are firm, give a sleek contour to the body and enable you to perform most type of movements with ease. Stamina is staying power and it is the factor by which fitness is most commonly judged. Stamina enables you to go faster and further without becoming exhausted or breathless. See how good your stamina is by carrying out the test, opposite. If you did not achieve the highest rating, aim to improve it. Any type of ‘aerobic’, or oxygen-using exercise will increase your stamina. |
