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Often people ask me – “I run, is that enough?” or “I do Yoga, is that enough?” or “I do Zumba, is that enough?”
Most of us develop liking for some variety or form of exercises and we continue to do that as it gives us pleasure and a feeling of accomplishment. Something is much better than doing nothing at all. So please do not stop what you are doing.
For a person to be holistically fit, the exercise regime should address/enhance the following:
1. Cardiovascular fitness
2. Flexibility
3. Strength
4. Posture
(There are more, but for now, I will keep it simple)
Let’s see what each of these mean one by one:
Cardiovascular fitness: Cardiovascular fitness represents our heart health. Heart is an organ that is responsible for pumping blood to different parts of our body. The blood transports oxygen, nutrients, enzymes, substrates, hormones etc. How efficiently the heart can pump blood defines the overall health of our body. If the heart is working efficiently, it will be able to pump out more blood per beat and consequently it will have to beat lesser number of times to meet the needs of the body. An efficient heart beats lesser times per minute.
Running, walking, swimming, cycling, Zumba are exercises that enhance cardiovascular fitness.
Strength: Strength is our ability to lift things. Ex. furniture, suitcase, groceries etc. Strength comes from muscles of our body. Muscles also provide support to our skeletal system and hence needs to be kept strong to prevent loss of bone density. With age, there is muscular atrophy. That is why we commonly see elderly folks finding it difficult to walk. For an independent life during old age, muscular preservation is very important. Muscles also increase the metabolism of the body which makes us feel energetic all the time.
This can be achieved by resistance training – with exercise bands or body weight or free weights like dumbbells and barbells.
A note for women – women often prefer cardiovascular exercises to strength exercise. There is a significant loss of bone density in women post menopause. Hence women especially above the age of 40 must start on strength training if they have not already.
Resistance training has also shown benefits on emotional health. Many doctors are now routinely prescribing strength training to patients with mild or moderate depression.
Running without strengthening the legs, glutes and core muscles can lead to injury. Hence if you are into running, please ensure to strengthen your legs, glutes and core.
Flexibility: Flexibility is our ability to move our limbs or body parts around the joints of our body. How far we can move them in each direction provides the Range of Motion of a joint. More the range of motion, more is the flexibility. We need flexibility to bend over and tie our shoelaces, stretch out to pick a book from the shelf, comb our long hair backward, close the back zip of the long gown.
Flexibility can be enhanced by Yoga or stretching exercises.
Strength training works by flexing/contracting our muscles. Hence, strength training needs to be complemented with Yoga or Stretching to avoid letting the body tighten up.
Posture: Posture is rendered by our spine – cervical, thoracic and lumbar. Some, not all, postural defects arise from the way we sit or stand. They also occur from muscular imbalances. Let me explain with an example. People who work on their laptops for long duration or students who bend over while studying often develop a slouch. Because of the way they sit, the muscles of the chest become shorter (overactive) and muscles of back (right below the neck) become stretched (underactive). This muscular imbalance results in a slouch.
Postural defects can be corrected by strengthening the underactive muscles and stretching the overactive muscles. Often times a balanced strength training and flexibility exercises can correct postural defects.
So then, back to the question – Which exercise is right for you? Answer is – all of them. You will need to do all to get the maximum benefit towards health, remain pain & injury free and enjoy your life to the fullest.
I recommend 2 days of Strength training, 2 days of Cardiovascular training and 2 days of Yoga OR 3 days of Strength + Stretching and 3 days of Cardiovascular training.
Women’s Health Mastery – Starter kit is my step by step coaching system for women who are looking to enhance their vitality, reclaim their youth and aspire to live a life of their dreams. To know more please visit: https://school.navitae.com/p/women-s-health-mastery-starter-kit
-Ruma Pal
Certified Health and Fitness Coach, ISSA, USA
Women’s Fitness Specialist, NASM, USA