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NaturalWay – Margit Slimáková

care about your health

Sport for everyone

Healthy nutrition is a great base for the healthy body but it needs to be supported by other positive lifestyle choices. The most important is doing exercises. I regularly discuss with my clients how much is necessary to move and what are the best physical activities to choose. That is why I decided to prepare these generally applicable rules – recommendations suitable for everybody. However, they have to be adjusted on the basis of individual needs, possibilities and preferences.   >

I have been repeating that for the healthy body nobody needs to run marathons or to pay fees for expensive fitness clubs. The most important is to exercise regularly, involve different physical activities and spend enough time outside. More and more studies have found out that running till you drop or many hours of excessive aerobics could be more stressful and exhausting than beneficial for your health. For example a study published in the Journal of American Heart Association states that the stress caused by the long-term intensive exercise can lead in the organism to an inflammatory response which is similar to a response presented by a heart disease. So, please do not be under stress while doing unrealistic extreme performance, but keep fit regularly and in a healthy way. I read also a very interesting study which had found out that the difference between individuals with a normal weight and overweight was not about hours spent in a gym. But the individuals with a healthy weight usually move more actively during their daily activities, they prefer to go up stairs, to walk faster; they would hold their child more on hands than in a stroller and so on. They put more physical activity into their daily activities.  

Regular physical activity should include interval workout for the support of the heart, performance and immunity; strengthening exercises for building and maintaining of muscles and bone tissues; stretching and relaxation activities to maintain body flexibility and peace of the mind.   

Interval workout copies the exercises of our ancestors. The activities alternated between brief periods of extreme performance increase with slower periods. Interval workout is the easiest way to perform on any kind of treadmills, bikes or cross trainers but it can be also performed without sport equipment. Below I refer to a great video demonstration of such training. Although I will give you now a brief description: interval training should start by three to five minutes of warming up period on the selected machine. This initial phase is followed by 30 second of very high intensity exercise (running, cycling, swimming…) and 90 seconds recovery phase, when you are moving at a comfortable speed. Described two minutes of workout should be repeated from four to eight times and be finished by few more minutes of slower exercising. A complete training interval fits comfortable from fifteen to twenty minutes and it is highly beneficial even if you manage it only once a week. However, ideally would be two, maximum three repetitions per week. More are neither needed nor useful. This interval training is the best way how to strengthen the cardiovascular system and lungs. It is essential to maintain fitness, slowing the aging process, boost immunity; help to maintain healthy cholesterol levels and the release of growth hormone.  

Strength training exercises are a base for the building and the maintaining of the muscle and the bone mass. Muscles are the most metabolically active tissue in the body. They burn more energy than fat tissues and they help to maintain a proper body weight. Strong bones are the best prevention of osteoporosis. The best for muscle training is to use a couple of weights, mat and eventually also rubber bands. You can exercise at home or even outside while using weights attached to your wrists or ankles. I recommend strength training once or twice a week and even some of these trainings could be replaced by strengthening exercises or by Pilates, which strengthens also targeted muscles.  

Relaxation and stretching exercises can be represented by yoga, walks, tai-chi or meditations, depending on the interest and possibilities. Relaxation and meditations are calming and regenerating after busy family and work tasks, thus they help us to handle the next day.  

Generally could be each of the described exercises replaced by some of daily activities. The interval training can be sometimes realized in the form of dancing or some ball games, as well as some strengthening work in the garden. The relaxation could be in a form of a walk with your dog, or listening to calming music. It is very important to exercise with a positive attitude, not just because you have to and I assure you that you will feel great after your training.  

My advice for the individuals with an overbooked schedule: when preparing your work program ahead, book also the appropriate time for the exercises. Be as concrete as possible and prepare for the exercises as seriously as for another activity. Check it out after the accomplishment. After a few months of regular exercise, when you feel better and look great, you won’t need such a rigorous planning, because you will enjoy your sport activities more and more. I wish you good luck on this journey.

You can see one of the best presentations as well as explanations of interval training on; ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ERo7gVn2VQ

The interval training Peak 8 representing by Mercola M.D, who has been promoting for many years healthy lifestyle with the emphasis on nutrition, exercise and reduction of the unnecessary drug therapy.