The three golden rules of exercise

Do we need to exercise so hard that we are in pain and not be able to get out of bed the next day? The short answer is, no. But, we do need to do exercise regularly, if we’re going to stay healthier for longer.

The latest research on the benefits of exercise throughout our lives is showing amazing results. Exercise alone is making us healthier and disease free…and this relates to all exercise- walking, swimming, cycling, yoga as well as the  very energetic styles  like tough mudders; marathon running; all day boot camps; mountain trekking for days at a time- they all work and if done regularly will improve our health.

I have spent all my working life in the health and fitness industry (nurse for over 20 years;  fitness consultant and running coach in the past 10 years) and I am amazed at some of the ridiculous claims made when it comes to exercise. I know so many people who don’t exercise because they are worried that they are not doing enough or working hard enough to get the benefits, so they opt to do nothing at all- this is the worst thing you can do.

I have three rules you should tick off when it comes to doing an activity for fitness

1. You need to like it

I didn’t say love it, but it needs to be something you can do and be able to complete and feel like you have exerted some energy. If you like walking- walk. It’s a great fitness activity and something you can walk straight out the door and do. If you want to make walking more energetic and to improve your cardio fitness and strength- walk faster, walk up and down hills or stairs; or walk on the beach- all of these things help increase your fitness- walking is enough if you spend 45mins to an hour on it and put some oomph into it. If you like swimming or cycling or jogging- apply the same rules as walking- add a little bit of speed and intensity and health improvements will follow.

2. It has to be convenient

It’s no good joining the new beaut gym across town and then find it takes half an hour to get there and the whole process takes over two hours and is a stressful trip.

Many activities that you can do in your home of from your front door are easier and you are more likely to participate in an activity that doesn’t create stress to you.

Often safety is an issue with exercise, especially out door activities-If you have some unused exercise equipment in your home, get it out and do your exercise in front of the TV- its still exercise, and still provides the same great benefit as outdoor or gyms.

Go to your local park and use that as your own personal gym- if you live near the beach – that’s fantastic there are so many great fitness activities to be done there, all free and fun.

3. It needs to be cost effective

There is so much out there now when it comes to exercise and fitness and some of it can be very expensive. You may join a new bewt boot camp for 8 weeks and fork out the $200 fees It takes you 6 weeks to start to feel good and pain free and then two weeks later you need to find another $200 to continue. However when the next block is ready to start and the car rego or house insurance is due to be paid- the first thing to go will be the boot camp due to lack of funds.

For Exercise to work and keep you healthy it  needs to be long term and for life and if you know your budget wont stretch to personal training or gym fees then it’s not worth starting at all- you are best to find something that fits your budget. There are many free or low cost fitness and exercise groups. Contact your local council as they offer many free programs. Meet Up groups are great as well; they are usually likeminded people who get together to exercise and involve no or very little costs.

The main thing to remember with exercise is that it needs to be done and it needs to suit you and your lifestyle- once you find that thing you are more likely to participate long term and that is when the benefits happen and last.

What exercises have you tried and loved? How did you get involved and why do you like them so much? Tell us in the comments below…