Exercise is a critical component of good health, especially as you age. Exercise will help you:1.Sleep better
2.Lose weight, gain weight, or maintain weight, depending on your needs
3.Improve your resistance to fight infections
4.Lower your risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes
5.Help your brain work better, making you smarter.
The key to obtaining the benefits of exercise is to find a program and stick to it. Below are six simple exercises you can start today and gain the profit to improve your body and your brain.
1.Start with walking if you are overweight.
Most heavy people start with walking and that is an excellent choice, as it is low-risk and inexpensive. The major problem with walking, however, is that many people become fit relatively rapidly but don't increase the intensity of the workouts as they become more fit. Once you become comfortable with a routine, it is important to increase the intensity in order to continue benefiting.
2.Try race-walking.
When outdoors, it is sometimes difficult to walk fast enough to get to the necessary level of exertion. Try race walking -- Racewalk.com has an excellent section on teaching you how to do this. However, if you use a treadmill indoors you can easily increase the incline to improve the intensity of the walking.
3.Try running.
If you feel ambitious you can advance to running.It is one of the most efficient and inexpensive ways to stay healthy; the only equipment required is a good pair of shoes. If you do decide to run, please recognize that most shoes will not last more than six months. If you use them longer than six months you will increase your risk of injury.
4.Try an elliptical machine.
Elliptical machines are generally less expensive and far quieter than treadmills and provide a complete lower body workout by rotating the use of the different muscle groups on your legs. However, you will have to be sure to use the elliptical that can incline throughout various levels. Some models have a fixed based and handles that allow you to exercise your arms, but I believe it is more helpful to exercise the different leg muscles as they are much larger than your arm muscles.
5.Swimming.
But only in fresh water. Swimming is one of the best exercises on the planet, working all the major muscles, but it poses the challenge of exposing you to the large amounts of chlorine that are in most swimming pools. However, you still have the option of swimming in the lake, river or ocean depending on the temperature of the water.
6.Try bicycling.
Be aware of safety measures. If you decide to bicycle for health, study all bicycle safety measures and be aware of the high risk for serious injury compared with other exercise options. Always, of course, wear your helmet.
Source : www.mercola.com