Benefits Of Different Types Of Exercise Different types of exercise affect the body in different ways, and have different health benefits. The latest ideas on exercise favour short bouts of high intensity exercise rather than longer periods of medium intensity exercise, such as aerobics or jogging. This seems to have greater health benefits and also has the added advantage of taking much less time to do. Having a large variety of exercises is also important to build core strength and develop muscles evenly to produce every day fitness.

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The Ideal Balance Of Exercise

Your ideal balance of exercise should include -

• Aerobic endurance exercise to lower blood pressure
• Strength training to help ease muscle and joint pain
• Interval training that includes short bursts of intense activity to burn fat
• Stretching and mobility exercises to strengthen joints and keep your body supple

Your Body Adapts To Regular Exercise

If you exercise regularly your body adapts to that exercise. Now this is good because you get fitter. However, there is a problem. If you just use one form of exercise then your body adapts by getting you fit for that type of exercise. This isn't what you want, because there are several different kinds of fitness that you need to be truely fit. This applies to everyone, and not just to athletes.

Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercise is moderate intensity where you never get out of breath, and was once the most fashionable. Starting with Jane Fonda just about every celebrity had their own aerobic exercise video. Jogging and distance running are similar, and have a similar effect on the body. However, by itself, this should not be your only form of exercise. Aerobic exercise can be a great way of easing yourself into exercising, however, your body will adapt to a regular level of exercise, and the benefit you get will soon plateau. Your heart will also adapt to being able to cope with this level of exercise to the detriment of being able to cope with sudden bursts of energy.

Chunky Aerobics Instructor Syndrome is a term coined by Charles Poliquin, a world renown strength and conditioning coach, when he noticed that many aerobics instructors became quite chubby and had a higher level of body fat than would be expected. This was also happening with elite athletes, and was found to be due to the body structurally adapting to a regular level of exercise. There were also a number of well publicised deaths from heart attacks of people who were regarded as really healthy exercise addicts who just used this one form of exercise by itself.

Interval Training

Interval training is where you have short bouts of high intensity exercise, where you really get out of breath, with short rest periods in between. Interval training has been found to offer some health benefits that aerobic exercise doesn't give, including greater protection against heart attacks. It is especially effective at burning fat. Interval training has also been shown to improve the body's endurance fitness better than aerobic exercises.

Time efficiency is a big advantage of high intensity interval training. In our busy lives it is important to be able to fit exercise into our weekly schedules. The important question is how can I get the most benefit from the minimum time, because I have a life to lead, a job to do, and a family to run. Interval training offers a lot of return for a small time investment. Ten minutes of exercise done on most days can have a huge effect if done well.

Strength Training

Strength training uses exercises against a weight, either your own body weight or extra weights. Strength training increases muscle mass, and it is important to maintain muscle mass throughout your life, because as you get older there is a tendency to lose muscle mass and gain fat, so that even if you maintain the same weight your body composition changes. Maintaining muscle mass is one of the secrets of healthy aging, and is why exercise is especially important in later life.

Core Strength is the natural balance of muscles in the back and spine. It is important to health, but is neglected if exercise is concentrated on individual muscle groups, which can easily happen with a gym routine. Core strength is the ability to recover if you slip or fall, without hurting yourself, or to be able to bend and stretch while decorating or doing the garden without hurting your back. It is an important part of overall fitness and certain exercises improve core strength.

Stretching

Stretching and mobility exercises are important to maintain full function in your muscles and joints, especially as you get older, and it can help with joint problems. Yoga and Tai Chi are good examples of stretching and mobility exercises to keep your body supple.