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Summary
Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health. It has many benefits, including improving your overall health and fitness, and reducing your risk for many chronic diseases. There are many different types of exercise; it is important that you pick the right types for you. Most people benefit from a combination of them:
- Endurance, or aerobic, activities increase your breathing and heart rate. They keep your heart, lungs, and circulatory system healthy and improve your overall fitness. Examples include brisk walking, jogging, swimming, and biking.
- Strength, or resistance training, exercises make your muscles stronger. Some examples are lifting weights and using a resistance band.
- Balance exercises can make it easier to walk on uneven surfaces and help prevent falls. To improve your balance, try tai chi or exercises like standing on one leg.
- Flexibility exercises stretch your muscles and can help your body stay limber. Yoga and doing various stretches can make you more flexible.
Fitting regular exercise into your daily schedule may seem difficult at first. But you can start slowly, and break your exercise time into chunks. Even doing ten minutes at a time is fine. You can work your way up to doing the recommended amount of exercise. How much exercise you need depends on your age and health.
Other things that you can do to make the most of your workouts include
- Choosing activities that work all the different parts of the body, including your core (muscles around your back, abdomen, and pelvis). Good core strength improves balance and stability and helps to prevent lower back injury.
- Choosing activities that you enjoy. It's easier to make exercise a regular part of your life if you have fun doing it.
- Exercising safely, with proper equipment, to prevent injuries. Also, listen to your body and don't overdo it.
- Giving yourself goals. The goals should challenge you, but also be realistic. It's also helpful to reward yourself when you reach your goals. The rewards could be something big, like new workout gear, or something smaller, such as movie tickets.
Related Issues
- Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance (National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) Also in Spanish
- Exercise for Weight Loss: Calories Burned in One Hour (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Exercise for Your Bone Health (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) Also in Spanish
- Exercise Habit (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
- Exercise Headaches (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Exercise Intensity: How to Measure It (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Exercise: When to Check with Your Doctor First (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Finding Time for Fitness (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Fitness: Stay Safe during Hot-Weather Exercise (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Joining a Gym (Federal Trade Commission) Also in Spanish
- Measuring Your Fitness Level (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Opportunities Abound for Moving Around: Get Active, Wherever You Are (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
- Overcoming Barriers to Physical Activity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Physical Activity for a Healthy Weight (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Target Heart Rates (American Heart Association)
- Tips for Buying Exercise Equipment (Federal Trade Commission) Also in Spanish
- Walking Shoes: Features and Fit (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Warm Up and Cool Down: Reduce Risk of Injury and Improve Athletic Performance (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- When Is the Best Time of Day to Work Out? (American Heart Association)
Specifics
- Core Exercises: Why You Should Strengthen Your Core Muscles (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Functional Fitness Training: Is it Right for You? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- How Much Physical Activity Do Adults Need? (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Importance of Stretching (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
- Interval Training (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Maintain Your Muscle: Strength Training at Any Age (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
- Pilates: Build Strength in Your Core Muscles (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Strength Training: For Overall Fitness (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Stretching Safely and Effectively (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Travel for Work: Fitness Tips for Business Travelers (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Walking: A Step in the Right Direction (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
- Walking: How to Get Started and Stay Motivated (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Weight Training: Do's and Don'ts of Proper Technique (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Zumba: What is it? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Health Check Tools
- ChooseMyPlate.gov (Department of Agriculture)
- Exercise Activity Calculator (American Cancer Society)
- Target Heart Rate Calculator (American Cancer Society)
Videos and Tutorials
- Epinephrine and exercise (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Statistics and Research
- Facts & Statistics: Physical Activity (Department of Health and Human Services)
- Facts about Physical Activity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- FastStats: Exercise or Physical Activity (National Center for Health Statistics)
- Personalized Exercise? How Biology Influences Fitness (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Exercise (National Institutes of Health)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Physical Fitness (National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Reference Desk
- Definitions of Health Terms: Fitness (National Library of Medicine)
Find an Expert
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Also in Spanish
- President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition
- Weight Management and Healthy Living Tips (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Women
- Fitness: All Guides (Children's Hospital Boston)
- Physical Activity (Exercise) (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- Are you getting too much exercise? (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Dance your way to fitness (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Exercise clothing and shoes (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Exercise, lifestyle, and your bones (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Exercises to help prevent falls (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Exercising on a budget (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Give your heart a workout (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- How to avoid exercise injuries (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- How to avoid overheating during exercise (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- How to Take Your Heart Rate (Department of Veterans Affairs) - PDF
- Indoor fitness routine (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Learn to love exercise (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Make time to move (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Outdoor fitness routine (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Physical activity (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Working with a personal trainer (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish