Exercise Safety
Resistance
Current exercise recommendations include adding resistance training to an aerobics
routine. Women are often concerned about building too much muscle mass. You
can tone your body and increase your muscle mass without bulking up. Here's
some advice from Valerie Weil, MD, an internal medicine specialist with Penn
Health for Women, to help you get started.
- Start slow and easy to avoid injury.
- Strength-training can be done in your home
or at a gym.
- Working with weights, you can do bicep curls,
lunges and many other simple exercises. Talk
to your doctor about getting started. "Strong
Women Stay Young" by Miriam E. Nelson,
PhD, is a good reference and can help you get
started and stay committed to a strength-training
program.
- The key to toning and not bulking up is to
use less weight and do more repetitions.
- You only need to do resistance exercises
twice a week for 15 minutes or less to maintain
muscle.
- According to Dr. Weil, spot reducing doesn't
work. Where fat is deposited on your body is
genetically determined.
Aerobic
- Start with a warm-up and end with a cool-down.
- Wear sneakers that are not worn-out. Buy
a less expensive pair of sneakers and replace
them frequently.
- When exercising outdoors, be aware of your
environment. Avoid potholes and make sure there
is adequate lighting.
- Remain hydrated. Most people think about
staying hydrated in the hot summer months,
but it's important all year long
- For cardiovascular fitness, get aerobic exercise
for 30 minutes a day at least three days a
week (ideally 5 days)
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