The Importance of Physical Activity
Being active and eating well can lead to many long-term health benefits. It can reduce your risk of various diseases, help you sleep better at night, improve your mood, and even increase your lifespan. However, as much as we all want to sleep well and be happy as often as possible, many people are uneducated as to where to begin when it comes to proper diet and exercise!
According to the Canadian Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines, adults between the age of 18 and 64 should be getting a minimum of 20 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity on a daily basis. This guideline is a great place to start if you’re looking for some way to incorporate physical activity into your lifestyle!
In this blog post, I will talk about the two main types of exercise you can do (Cardio and Resistance Training) and why they are so important to include in your exercise plan!
Cardiovascular Exercise
Cardiovascular exercise involves activities that increase your heart rate over a period of time and help you burn fat. Cardio exercise is important in order to keep your heart muscle healthy, increase your lung capacity, and reduce your risk of heart attack, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Some examples of cardio include jogging, walking, cycling, dancing, swimming, hiking, skipping, and so many more. The options are endless when it comes to this kind of training! I personally would recommend 3 sessions of 30-45 minutes of cardio per week, making sure your heart rate is at 70% of its maximum. You can find out what your max heart rate is HERE.
Resistance Training
Resistance training involves exercises that increase your muscle strength by making your muscles work against the weight of some external object (i.e. lifting weights). Now, before you skip over this section because you are afraid to get “too muscular” – let me just clear the air: It is extremely difficult to put on too much muscle without the help of illegal drugs – so, please do not worry about getting “bulky.” In order to actual put on any amount of muscle mass, you have to eat a LOT of protein (as well as a LOT of other food!) and be involved in heavy, intense lifting that causes muscle breakdown. For those of you who just want to ‘tone up,’ resistance training is still 100% essential! Resistance training is important in order to protect your joints from injury, help you maintain flexibility and balance, and help you stay independent as you age. It also increases your bone density which prevents osteoporosis! Some examples of resistance training include free weights, machines, resistance bands, bodyweight exercises, and medicine balls and kettle bells! I personally would recommend 2-3 sessions of 30-60 minutes of resistance training per week.
Here at Fitness Zone, we can help you achieve your fitness goals by giving you personalized advice regarding both cardio and resistance training. We offer personal training as well as other training programs and sessions (see our MEMBERSHIP tab for details!). We would love to help you out, so stop by and check in with our accommodating staff about our fantastic gym facility!
Thanks so much for reading! If you have any questions, feel free to contact us on one of our social media outlets!
Sam
Staff Member
Fitness Zone Steinbach
Being active and eating well can lead to many long-term health benefits. It can reduce your risk of various diseases, help you sleep better at night, improve your mood, and even increase your lifespan. However, as much as we all want to sleep well and be happy as often as possible, many people are uneducated as to where to begin when it comes to proper diet and exercise!
According to the Canadian Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines, adults between the age of 18 and 64 should be getting a minimum of 20 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity on a daily basis. This guideline is a great place to start if you’re looking for some way to incorporate physical activity into your lifestyle!
In this blog post, I will talk about the two main types of exercise you can do (Cardio and Resistance Training) and why they are so important to include in your exercise plan!
Cardiovascular Exercise
Cardiovascular exercise involves activities that increase your heart rate over a period of time and help you burn fat. Cardio exercise is important in order to keep your heart muscle healthy, increase your lung capacity, and reduce your risk of heart attack, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Some examples of cardio include jogging, walking, cycling, dancing, swimming, hiking, skipping, and so many more. The options are endless when it comes to this kind of training! I personally would recommend 3 sessions of 30-45 minutes of cardio per week, making sure your heart rate is at 70% of its maximum. You can find out what your max heart rate is HERE.
Resistance Training
Resistance training involves exercises that increase your muscle strength by making your muscles work against the weight of some external object (i.e. lifting weights). Now, before you skip over this section because you are afraid to get “too muscular” – let me just clear the air: It is extremely difficult to put on too much muscle without the help of illegal drugs – so, please do not worry about getting “bulky.” In order to actual put on any amount of muscle mass, you have to eat a LOT of protein (as well as a LOT of other food!) and be involved in heavy, intense lifting that causes muscle breakdown. For those of you who just want to ‘tone up,’ resistance training is still 100% essential! Resistance training is important in order to protect your joints from injury, help you maintain flexibility and balance, and help you stay independent as you age. It also increases your bone density which prevents osteoporosis! Some examples of resistance training include free weights, machines, resistance bands, bodyweight exercises, and medicine balls and kettle bells! I personally would recommend 2-3 sessions of 30-60 minutes of resistance training per week.
Here at Fitness Zone, we can help you achieve your fitness goals by giving you personalized advice regarding both cardio and resistance training. We offer personal training as well as other training programs and sessions (see our MEMBERSHIP tab for details!). We would love to help you out, so stop by and check in with our accommodating staff about our fantastic gym facility!
Thanks so much for reading! If you have any questions, feel free to contact us on one of our social media outlets!
Sam
Staff Member
Fitness Zone Steinbach
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