Public Health Nutrition and Child Care: 8 Basic Exercise Tips

Exercise, even though it may just be a little bit of physical activity, can improve your health. Exercise can give you strength and energy to feel good. Exercise also boosts emotional and mental health. It improves your self-esteem and keeps your mind away from too much thinking about problems. People who exercise have less anxiety, stress, and depression than those who don’t have any physical activity.

Eight basic tips (University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter)

1. Whatever activity you pursue, don’t overdo it. The most common cause of injury in exercise is “too much, too soon” syndrome. Exercising too aggressively can do damage to your body rather than making you physically fit. Exercise at a relatively low intensity and gradually increase your level of exercise over a number of weeks. If an exercise is too difficult for you, try something easier.

2. “No pain, no gain” is a myth. Discomfort is not necessary. Beware of exercise instructors who say that: “exercise must hurt (or “burn”) to be efficient. Pain is an indicator for you to stop your exercise for a while. If pain does not go away while you do it again, stop and modify your exercise. Try something that you can do painlessly. If pain occurs in the chest or the neck, you should see your doctor.

3. Use adequate footwear. Wearing inadequate and worn-out shoes places added stress to your feet, ankles, knees, and hips (the sites of 90% of all sports injuries). Choose shoes that are suitable for your physical activity. Frequently worn athletic shoes can loose one-third of their shock-absorbing ability in a matter of months.

4. Control your movements. Rapid, jerky movements can cause injury. Damage to the body can be slow that you might hardly notice it. Poor and unsupported execution of exercise movements can injure the muscles and the joints. If you can’t control your movement, slow down.

5. Watch your form and posture. In most activities, stress and injury can result from poor form. When jumping or reaching overhead, keep your back aligned, your abdominal muscles contracted, your buttocks tucked-in, and your knees aligned over your feet.

6. Don’t bounce while stretching. “Ballistic” stretching actually shortens the muscles and increases the chance for muscle tear and soreness. When you stretch, gradually loosen your muscles without straining them.

7. Avoid high-impact aerobics. Repetitive jarring movements in aerobics routines were found to cause injuries to the shins, calves, lower back, ankles, and knees. A well-designed low impact aerobics routine can easily raise your heart rate to provide cardiovascular benefits.

8. Warm up and cool down. Warm up slowly. Cool down gradually. Take extra lap in a pool or track. This will reduce muscle stiffness and prevent abrupt drop in blood pressure. Never stand still after an exercise.