Tunturi Aircycle E603 - Developing Your Fitness Program

DEVELOPING YOUR FITNESS PROGRAM
Regardless of your age or cur¬
rent physical condition, you can
benefit from a regular exercise pro¬
gram. Physical fitness through
exercise equips you to meet the
physical, mental, and social
demands of everyday life. Through
exercise, you will sleep better, eat
better, look better, and generally
feel better.
CAUTION: It is extremely important
to discuss your exercise plans with
your physician so that you develop
a program appropriate for you.
Here are just some of the bene¬
fits of a regular exercise program:
• Improve the condition of your
heart and lungs.
• Protect yourself against cor¬
onary heart disease.
• Keep weight in check.
• Maintain or develop muscular
strength.
• Maintain the health of your
bones and your body in general.
• Increase your immunity to infec¬
tions.
• Increase your alertness and self-
confidence.
• Reduce the effects of stress and
aging.
THE TWO TYPES
OF EXERCISE
There are basically two types of
exercises: aerobic and anaerobic.
During anaerobic exercise, the pro¬
duction of energy does not require
oxygen; the body draws fuel from
stored compounds in the muscles
and from blood sugar (glucose)
rather than from fat. Most anaero¬
bic exercises are intense and brief:
for example, sprinting, jumping,
and weight lifting.
During aerobic exercise, energy
is produced almost completely
with the use of oxygen and the
body draws fuel primarily from fat.
Muscles require oxygen in order to
function; exercise substantially in¬
creases your muscles’ need for
oxygen. In response, your heart
pumps faster to provide oxygen-
rich blood for the muscles. Some
examples of aerobic exercise are
cycling, jogging, running, swim¬
ming, rowing, cross-country skiing,
and stair climbing.
' Here are descriptions of the two
major health benefits of aerobic
exercise:
An efficient cardiovascular
system: Regular aerobic exercise
makes your cardiovascular (heart-
blood vessel) system more effi¬
cient. A well-conditioned heart
pumps more blood per heart beat; it
doesn’t have to work as hard to
transport oxygen and blood sugar to
your muscles. Your resting pulse
rate reflects your fitness level; it
decreases as your fitness improves.
Efficient fat burning: Aerobic ex¬
ercise also makes your body burn
fat more efficiently. Fat first
develops in the muscles. As you
age, unexercised muscles slowly
become saturated with fat. Even¬
tually, the fat accumulates outside
the muscles; this is the fat you can
see. When a muscle turns to fat,
the size of the muscle decreases.
This reduced muscle size tells your
body that you need fewer calories.
However, research has shown that
regular aerobic exercise not only
reverses the muscle-to-fat process;
it actually increases the body’s
lean muscle mass. And because
muscles require more energy, your
body’s metabolism automatically
increases. You burn more calories
even when you’re not exercising.
TAILORING YOUR OWN
AEROBIC EXERCISE
PROGRAM
Your fitness program will vary
with your age and level of fitness,
as well as with your personal exer¬
cise preferences. Before beginning
any program, you need to ask
yourself:
• What sort of exercise do you
want to do? You need to make a
choice that fits with your life¬
style and personal preferences.
• How long will your exercise ses¬
sions be? You need a minimum
of 15 minutes to achieve an ade¬
quate training level.
• How hard will you exercise? You
eventually want to achieve a
minimum of 70% maximum
heart rate. (This is explained fur¬
ther below.)
• How often can you exercise?
You need to exercise at least 3
times per week to get the bene¬
fits of a program.