EXERCISE

EXERCISE
Exercise is defined as any movement that makes your muscles work and requires your body to burn calories.
There are many types of physical activity, including swimming, running, and walking, to name a few. Being
active has been shown to have many health benefits, both physically and mentally.
Exercise is intentional physical activity to enhance or maintain fitness and overall health. It is performed
for various reasons, including weight loss or maintenance, to aid growth and improve strength, develop
muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athletic skills, improve health, or simply for enjoyment.
PHASES OF EXERCISE
The phases of your exercise session should include warmup, conditioning and cooldown. Some people
prefer to add stretching as a fourth phase, separating it from the warmup or cooldown phases. Each of the
phases plays an important role in helping you reach your fitness goals while maintaining your health and
safety. The phases that provide time to prepare your body and time for your body to recover are just as
important as the exercise activity you choose for the main part of your session.
WARM-UP
The warmup phase of exercise prepares your body for the activity of the conditioning part of your workout.
Warming up before exercise allows your body to adjust gradually to the increased demand on your heart,
muscles, breathing and circulation. Warmups also increase your body temperature slowly, improve
flexibility and protect against injury and muscle soreness. Warmups involve light aerobic activities, such as
walking slowly for five to 10 minutes or a moderate version of your conditioning exercise, and should be
based on your physical characteristics and your conditioning activity. For strength training, warm up by
moving your joints and muscles.
STRETCHING
Stretching, or range-of-motion activities, can be performed as part of your warmup phase, just after your
light cardio . Stretch all of your major muscle groups for five to 10 minutes. Stretch and relax the muscles
slowly and gently without jerking or bouncing and hold each stretch to allow for tightening of the muscles
and tendons.
TRAINING/CONDITIONING
During the conditioning phase, you perform the exercise that produces fitness benefits, such as calorie
burning, building endurance or muscle strengthening. You may choose an aerobic exercise, such as
swimming or the elliptical jogger, or you may lift free weights, perform circuit training on weight machines
or play a high-intensity sport such as soccer or basketball.
COOLDOWN
The cooldown phase ends your exercise session with recovery time for your body. Cooling down requires
you to keep moving after you end the conditioning phase. Cooldown movements should allow your heart
rate, blood pressure and body temperature to return slowly to normal. A gradual decrease in physical
activity, such as slow walking, is a good way to cool down. You can also perform a few stretching
movements to cool down.