Exercise Guidelines
Basic Patient Exercise Guidelines
We know that finding time for exercise can be a challenging prospect.
Since physical activity is so essential to health, it’s crucial to prioritize it even amid a busy schedule. Avoiding prolonged periods of inactivity means incorporating movement into your day whenever possible.
Simple changes in your daily routine can significantly increase your activity levels. Try taking stairs instead of elevators, parking farther away to add more walking distance or taking a longer route when walking. Here’s an overview of everything you need to know about getting more active to boost your health.
Benefits of Exercise
The role of physical activity extends beyond mere movement; it’s a critical contributor to our overall well-being.
Benefits include:
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Calorie Burning: This is a natural weight control mechanism. Energy expenditure is particularly crucial for those hoping to reduce or maintain weight, as it balances the calories consumed and those burned.
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Blood Sugar Level Regulation: This benefit is paramount for people with diabetes, as exercise increases insulin sensitivity and promotes better glucose control. Incorporating regular exercise into your routine can manage diabetes more effectively and lower the risk of complications.
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Blood Pressure Regulation: Hypertension can be significantly lowered with regular physical activity, reducing strain on the cardiovascular system and reducing the risk of heart disease.
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Cholesterol Management: Exercise also helps lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels, a combination that works towards keeping your heart in good health.
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Promotes Bone Density: This reduces the risk of osteoporosis and fractures, especially in older adults.
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Boosts Mental Health: It’s known to combat stress and depression by releasing endorphins, which act as natural mood lifters.
Forms of Exercise
There are three primary forms of physical activity, each with distinct benefits.
Cardiovascular or aerobic exercises stimulate and strengthen the heart and lungs. This improves the body’s utilization of oxygen. Regular participation in walking, running or swimming can increase stamina and overall fitness.
Resistance or strength training is another key type of exercise. You build muscle strength and endurance by performing exercises with weights, resistance bands, or weight machines. Resistance training enhances your physical appearance, increases your metabolic rate, assists injury prevention and improves bone health.
Stretching is the third essential type of exercise that often gets overlooked. Regular stretching exercises help maintain flexibility, allowing your muscles and joints to function at a full range of motion. This improves your performance in other physical activities, lowers the risk of injuries, and promotes better posture.
Suppose you’re newer to exercising or have been physically inactive for an extended period. Consider consulting with professionals like Express Health Systems before embarking on a vigorous exercise regime. This is especially true if you have an existing health condition or risk factors for heart disease like high blood pressure or diabetes.
Getting Started
Suppose you’re a beginner or have been inactive for a long time. In that case, it’s
advisable to consult with a medical professional before embarking on a rigorous exercise regime, especially in the presence of heart disease or its risk factors, such as diabetes.
Begin your exercise regime gently. Start with slow, short sessions, gradually increasing speed and duration. Aim for at least 30 minutes of medium intensity daily, five or more days per week. If a single 30-minute exercise session seems daunting, consider breaking it down into shorter, more manageable bouts of activity spread throughout the day.
How to Exercise
A practical workout session generally involves three stages: a warm-up, the main exercise, and a cool-down.
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Warm-up: This helps prevent injury during exercise and improves the effectiveness of your workout by gradually increasing your heart rate and circulation. You could engage in light cardio (like slow-paced walking) or stretch for 5 to 10 minutes.
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Main exercise: This may involve brisk walking, swimming, running, or using exercise machines. Stretch all your joints, including your neck, shoulders, back, hips, and knees. Consider incorporating resistance training exercises into your workout at least twice a week.
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Cool-down: This prevents dizziness after exercise and staves off muscle cramps. You could stretch or perform light cardio for 5 minutes.
Practice Safe Activities
There are several precautions to keep in mind when exercising:
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Drink plenty of water: Remember to stay hydrated throughout and after your workouts and avoid caffeinated drinks, as they can lead to more dehydration.
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Check the temps: Extreme weather conditions can pose some risks or dangers, so choose indoor activities when it’s too hot or cold outside and prepare ahead of time to stay protected from excessive sun exposure.
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Your outfit matters: Dress appropriately for your workouts and always wear well-fitted and supportive footwear to avoid injuries. Tweaking a muscle or chafing and blisters can cause downtime, which is discouraging when creating a new activity habit.
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Listen to your body: Physical activity should be stopped immediately if symptoms such as chest, arm, throat, jaw, back pain or pressure, nausea or vomiting, heart palpitations, rapid heartbeat or dizziness occur. Contact your doctor or call 9-11 immediately when in physical distress.
Staying Active Despite a Busy Life
On days when structured exercise isn’t possible, try to stay active in other ways:
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Opt for stairs over elevators.
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Park farther from your destination to add walking distance.
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Choose longer routes when walking through work buildings or stores when shopping.
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Avoid prolonged sedentary behavior, like TV watching or computer work, which can be detrimental to your health. Get up and move every 30 minutes or so.
Contact Us
Express Health Systems accepts walk-ins at our Tyler and Plano, Texas, clinics. You can also schedule a virtual appointment through our online platform to start your wellness journey from the comfort of your own home.
To get started, visit us at either location Monday through Saturday from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M., no appointment necessary.
Telemedicine visits are available by appointment only Monday through Saturday from 8 A.M. to 10 P.M.