Exercises to try in the New Year

We know many of you will be entering 2020 with the goal of getting fit and we salute you. It is never too late to do more for your health and there is no better time than a new year to make a fresh start. As part of your osteopathic treatment, we offer advice on how you can use exercise to better yourself, so we thought a short blog on different exercises you could try this new year would be a worthwhile read. Now go and get your gym gear out, you’re going to need it!

Something aerobic

The word ‘aerobic’ in an exercise sense relates to the need of oxygen to make energy for the body when exercising. You might hear some people refer to aerobic exercise as ‘cardio’ and this relates to the benefits on the cardiovascular system as a result of doing aerobic exercise. In other words, it’s good for the heart and lungs. Examples of aerobic exercise include walking, jogging, running, cycling and swimming. If you are looking to improve your cardiovascular health or ‘aerobic’ fitness, then trying one of the above options would be ideal. If you’ve never run before, but you’d like to give it a go, then start small. Try a light jog over a short distance to get the heart pumping and build from there. It’s not ideal to try running a 10k from the get-go! Cycling could be on either a push bike or a static exercise bike in the gym. You’ll benefit from both, but we think going out on a push bike is much nicer. Think of all the fresh air and beautiful views you can take in by opting for an outdoor ride. Have your helmet ready and ride safe :)

Something stretchy

If you’re not feeling the cardio side of things and would like to try something a little gentler, then stretching could be a good fit for you. The benefits of stretching include:

•           Improving or maintaining muscle flexibility

•           Reducing the risk of injury due to tight or short muscles

•           Allowing you to maintain good posture and movement to be able to perform everyday tasks efficiently

•           Allowing you to exert yourself to higher levels without the worry of injury

•           Improving fluid movement throughout the body

If you’re looking for guidance on a stretching regime, speak to us next time you’re in the clinic. We will be able to tailor one to your needs and abilities. You may also want to consider taking part in a local yoga class. Yoga is fantastic for helping you stay flexible, as well as a whole host of other benefits including increased strength, balance and energy levels.

Or maybe strengthening?

If you’re still looking for something else, then some strength training could be the right fit for you. If you don’t already have a gym membership, then get to your local gym and see what they have to offer. You can often try the facilities out first before signing up. Or if you don’t like the gym setting (and many people don’t), you could always look into getting your own equipment to use at home. Strength or ‘resistance’ training helps to increase the strength of your muscles which improves support for your joints and skeleton. You can also expect to see other benefits such as weight loss, improved posture, reduced risk of injury, and improved mood and self-esteem (and so much more!). Check out your local Pilates classes (we can help direct you to a good place), as this is a great way of increasing strength and flexibility for your whole body.

It is a good idea to have a mixture of all types of exercise to keep your body functioning to its best. One step at a time though. If you need advice, please call us on 0452 249 379 and we’ll be happy to book you in for a chat and run through some ideas. Let’s make the new year our chance to try new things!

References

1.     Healthline. 2018. 10 aerobic exercise examples: How to, benefits, and more. [Online]. Available from: https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/aerobic-exercise-examples. [Accessed 11 Dec 2019]

2.     Harvard Medical School. 2019. The importance of stretching. [Online]. Available from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-importance-of-stretching. [Accessed 11 Dec 2019]

3.    American Osteopathic Association. 2019. The benefits of yoga. [Online]. Available from: https://osteopathic.org/what-is-osteopathic-medicine/benefits-of-yoga/. [Accessed 11 Dec 2019]

4.    Victoria Sate Government. 2018. Resistance training - health benefits. [Online]. Available from: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/resistance-training-health-benefits. [Accessed 11 Dec 2019]