Meet Mariyam, who is a single parent of 2 children. While doing all the housework alone, she also walks her children to school and various other places many times a day. She lives very actively throughout the day. 

Would you say that she needs to dedicate a specific time during her day, for exercising or working out?

One might say that she does not need to work out since she is already so busy.

Here is another scenario. Meet Shiyam, who works at a desk job 6 days a week. He has back pain from sitting for too long. Would you say that he needs to dedicate a specific time during his day, for working out? Or should he rest more?

The inevitable truth is that dedicating a specific time and a special routine as a workout, would help them both. It would improve the quality of their daily life, making everyday tasks seem effortless. It would help eliminate pains In their muscles and joints, and improve the quality of their body physically and mentally, and keep them energized. 

In our population, most commonly we would start exercising if we face an illness and our doctor advises us to start exercising. Or if we have a special event coming up and we want to lose a few inches to squeeze into a pair of pants. We have all been there.

The best way is to make exercising part of your weekly routine and set a time for it. This way, you would not have to go under so much pressure,  to rush to squeeze into those pants, or rush to get your blood pressure or cholesterol down. Because often times, the rushed results are not sustainable.

Committing to an enjoyable, yet healthy lifestyle will give you long lasting results. So why not start now?

“So what is Exercising? Where do I start?”

What is exercising and how you define it is the most important thing. You might see the occasional jogger who wants to sweat a little or you might see the person who goes to gym everyday, lifts heavy and trains to compete in a physique competition.

These are 2 extremely different people from a vast range of how people perceive exercise. You can decide where you want to settle down in between these two points. See what sparks most interest, what is most convenient for you, and then try to start. 

When you are looking to start, some might say it doesn’t work, you are doing too much, or you are doing too little. Different people have different amounts of knowledge and different personal experiences. So it is upto you to decide how much you would be doing, depending on the available time.

Often times, someone would not be getting there desired results because they fail to stay consistent or their meals are not aligned with their goal. So do not get disheartened about different opinions from different people. Seeking a professional’s help is also a good idea. Today’s fitness industry has a lot of variety to offer. So go ahead and Explore! 

You might want to start:

Strengthening exercises for your muscles and bones. These include; weight training using free weights, or machines or your body weight. Eg: Squat to a bench or Barbell Squats to strengthen your Legs, Hips and Core muscles

You might want to start 

Cardio exercises for your heart and Lungs. These would include; Jogging, Cycling, Swimming, Dancing, Boxing, Group Fitness classes, or any movements that would increase your heart rate and make you sweat. Eg: Jumping Jacks, Burpees

Or You might want to start

 Lengthening exercises for your muscles and mobility for your joints. These might include: mobility workouts, or yoga classes etc. Eg: Cat pose to knee plank, Pike to Full Plank.

 

You could even do a combination of 2 different types of exercises that you like, spread it throughout the week.

What you like the most is the one you will stick to for the longest time. And the one that will give you ultimately, the most results.

And possibly, you would keep coming back even if you take a break once in a while.

When beginning any exercise, start with a dynamic Warmup that will get your heart rate up gradually, and get your muscles and joints warm and ready for the main exercise. End with a Cooldown that will take you slowly back to the normal state.

Always remember, too much of anything is not a good thing. So be careful not to push yourself too hard trying out all the options, all at once. Progressing your exercises slowly is the best.

Remember to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have any concerns about your health, haven't exercised for a long time, have chronic health problems or had a recent surgery.

Even from the first workout, you might feel more alert and energized because ramping up your heart rate means a boost in overall blood flow and oxygen to the brain. If you have started strengthening exercises, you would notice your muscles begin to take shape.

Over time, it can reduce your risk of major illnesses, such as heart diseases, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer by upto 50% and also makes you look younger.

So let’s go ahead and start now!

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