How can different types of exercise benefit me?

It’s common knowledge that exercising is good for us and can improve our overall health. With so many different types out there it can be hard to know what to do. Below are some different types of exercise, how many times it is recommended to carry out these exercises, and how they can benefit our health.

Aerobic exercise:

Aerobic exercise is also know as cardiovascular training, which can include anything that gets the heart pumping and is a rhythmic, continuous activity such as walking, running, dancing, cycling and swimming.

The benefits of this type of workout are:

It is recommended that this exercise is performed 5 days a week for 30 minutes each day, this can be split up throughout the day if needed. These sessions can be fairly light or somewhat hard, depending on what you are doing and your fitness levels.

Strength, resistance or weight training:

Strength training (or weight resistance training) refers to exercise that works your muscles with some force. This includes exercises that help to build muscular strength and endurance such as weight training, body weight exercises or circuit.

The benefits of this type of workout are:

It is recommended that this exercise is carried out twice a week with rest days in between to allow muscles to recover. When starting with weights, begin with lighter weights and ensure you have a good posture whilst performing the exercise before you begin to increase the weight.

Stretching:

Stretching is where the muscle or tendon is deliberately stretched to be able to condition the muscles, decreasing the risk of injury and delayed onset of muscle soreness. This includes exercises such as yoga, tai chi, Pilates, seated or standing full body stretch or body balance.

The benefits of this type of workout are:

It is recommended that this exercise is carried out at least twice a week as a minimum but for maximum benefits, it should be completed after each workout. It is important to stretch after each workout to decrease the risk of injury and muscle imbalances.

It is important to check with your GP if you have any concerns about your health prior to starting a new type of exercise. if you get any symptoms while exercising such as nausea, chest pain, blurred vision, dizziness, pain or injury, exercise should be stopped immediately and medical advice sought.

References

Gov.uk (2022) Physical Activity: Applying all our health. Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/physical-activity-applying-all-our-health/physical-activity- applying-all-our-health (Accessed on 5 April 2023).

NHS (2022) Exercise. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/ (Accessed on 5 April 2023). NHS (2023) Flexibility Exercises. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/strength-and- flexibility-exercises/flexibility-exercises/ (Accessed on 5 April 2023).

NHS (2022) How to stretch after exercise. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/live- well/exercise/running-and-aerobic-exercises/how-to-stretch-after-exercising (Accessed on 5 April 2023).

NHS (2022) Walking for Health. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/running-and- aerobic-exercises/walking-for-health/. (Accessed on 5 April 2023).