Developing an exercise program

The specific makeup of an exercise program varies among individuals. The key variable factors of exercise are frequency (how often), intensity (how hard), and duration (how long). In addition to exercising on your own, there are many types of group exercise activities in your community. Pick something you like and stick with it!

You can improve your fitness by performing light activity for 10-minute periods adding up to 1 hour's worth each day. Light walking, easy gardening, and light stretches are all acceptable. As your fitness level increases you can work towards the 30 minutes of more demanding exercise as described below.

The central part of any exercise program is aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise is any activity that works the large muscle groups of the body, increases the flow of blood to the heart, and accelerates metabolic (basic body activity) rate for a prolonged period of time. Examples include brisk walking, bicycling, swimming, cross-country skiing, and dancing. Jogging is often inappropriate for older persons because of its excessive demands and high incidence of muscle and joint injuries. The key is to use your large muscle groups, especially those in your legs, in uninterrupted rhythmic motion.

Two other important concepts in exercise are maximum heart rate and target heart rate. Your maximum heart rate is calculated by subtracting age from 220. For example, a 40 year old’s maximum heart rate would be 180 beats per minute. During the aerobic exercise phase of a session your target heart rate should fall within 60-80% of your maximum heart rate; therefore, their target heart rate would be 108-144 beats per minute.

Exercising at 50% of the maximum rate has also been found to be beneficial. Note that in swimming, the target heart rate should be lowered slightly.

Four parts of an exercise program

The four parts of an exercise session (1) warm-up, (2) stretching, (3) aerobic exercise, and (4) cool-down are described below.

Warm-up

A good warm-up consists of 5-8 minutes of light aerobic exercise at about 40-50% of your maximum heart rate. Your muscles should be warmed-up before you attempt any stretches. Warming-up increases the blood supply to your muscles, increases their flexibility, and generally prepares your body and mind for the aerobic exercise to come.

Stretching

Stretching helps to increase the length and flexibility your muscles, thereby decreasing the risk of injury during exercise. Remember, you should feel a good gentle stretch but never pain.

There are different stretches for different types of exercise. In general, stretch all of your major muscle groups including your legs, trunk, upper body arms, and neck. Your health care provider or exercise program leader can tell you which stretches to perform. For example, Bob Anderson has published an excellent book called “Stretching” which shows you what to do for many types of activities.

Aerobic exercise

To obtain maximum aerobic fitness, you should perform 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times every week. There has been some suggestion lately that the number of times per week can be less, and that at least 30 minutes per session are required. However, the figures given first are still the accepted standards. All of the aerobic exercises mentioned above, when performed often enough, will help you achieve your fitness goals. Remember, the three main factors in exercise are duration, frequency, and intensity, your goal is basically to attain your target heart rate for 20-30 minutes.

It is not generally advisable to start off with a 20-30 minute aerobic exercise session if you are just starting a new program or have been away from exercising for awhile. Work up gradually starting with 5 minutes of uninterrupted aerobic exercise three times a week, then add 2 minutes each week for 12 weeks until you can do 30 minutes.

Cool-down

A cool-down period at the end of the aerobic phase of your exercise session is important because it allows proper post-exercise blood flow adaptations. To cool-down, perform low intensity aerobic exercises until your heart rate returns to approximately its resting level. Following this, perform the same simple stretches you did at the beginning of the session.

Some helpful hints

Some helpful hints to start and maintain an exercise program are

choose an enjoyable activity
choose an activity that can be performed all year around
exercise at the same time of day
exercise at a comfortable temperature
do not exercise late in the evening--it can make getting to sleep difficult
exercise with a partner