Top 5 exercises that you should be doing by now
Exercise has been one of the most renowned ways to improve the human lifestyle and aim for mental and physical wellness. However, most of the population remains limited to one type of exercise, neglecting the other types from which they can benefit. Harvard Health notes 5 main types of exercise to target all body functions: endurance, strength, flexibility, and balance. Each has its own added benefits and works synergistically to improve health.
When exploring the options for each type, it is vital to understand the fundamentals of these exercises.
Cardio
In sparing words, Cardio is for all. Not only does it test body stamina and equilibrium but also induces positive changes in flexibility and joint mobility. Cardio is the most popular exercise that has the most marked effects on muscle endurance of our body. Specifically, it increases the tensile strength of the muscles by targeting the cardiac muscles and enhancing the breathing capacity through various critical changes in the lungs. Cardio offers multi-tier performance levels, utilizing aerobic exercises to truly challenge the working-out ability of the human body in an ascending manner of progress. Starting from a low working threshold of activity, with regular exercise, the person switches to moderate forms of exercise with more sustained efforts and time into the workout regimen.
Encompassing a wide range of activities like walking, running, and swimming to extremes of cross-country skiing, cardio exercises are well enjoyed within households and out with natural scenery. Cardio optimizes weight and reduces blood pressure levels, improving overall metabolism, graceful aging, and an overall improvement in mood, alleviating endorphin levels post-exercise.
Crossfit
CrossFit is an amalgam of many exercise types and forms. It includes many exercise modes like weight training, jerks, rope jumping, and others that require a gym environment. CrossFit targets EPOC (Excessive Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption) – a phenomenon that sets it apart from regular low to moderate aerobic exercises. It promotes weight loss rather than sustaining weight by modulating metabolism to shift to a more catabolic state.
Physical effects of CrossFit include marked weight loss, sustained muscular hypertrophy, and improved stamina. It can be conveniently incorporated into lifestyle. Since CrossFit belongs in gyms, various communities provide beginners with an environment that allows them to learn and continue this as a lifestyle. CrossFit promotes a culture of physical fitness by incorporating all possible concerns.
High-intesity interval training
As the name implies, High-Intensity Interval Training is a form of exercise that utilizes the anaerobic capacity of the body to impart its benefits through controlled tempo and regular intervals. HIIT challenges our body by increasing our heart beyond 50% of its working capacity in short yet intense workout sessions. Exercises in this specific regimen are running, jumping ropes, and even calisthenics. Most athletes utilize this training to increase their stamina.
The most apparent advantage of high-intensity exercise is the rapid loss of unwanted fat and increased oxygen ventilation by combining both anaerobic and aerobic exercises. Since most workouts in HIIT require a home environment, going to the gym is not mandatory. Only three times a week is enough of a workout. Those with busy schedules can easily take it up.
yoga & pilates
While other regimens promise short and quick changes, yoga and Pilates are lifestyle exercises, accommodating both physical and mental aspects of health. Engaging static stretching poses with sustaining the required position, yoga and Pilates are considered low-impact exercises with several health benefits. Yoga covers more of the balance and flexibility aspect, whereas Pilates targets strength through resistance training exercises and flowing movements.
The most pronounced advantages are in daily life. Some of them are back pain relief, good posture, decreased incidences of injury, increased range of motion, and better core strength. Toning muscles through resistance exercises and tools is also a desirable outcome. Improved mental health is an added benefit because practicing chest and abdominal breathing gives a healthy state of mind.
weight-lifting
Even though most popular workout regimens usually incorporate weight lifting, there is preference shown to weight- lifting as it shows the most marked muscular hypertrophy. Major muscle groups can be targeted separately as well as simultaneously. One gains muscle using weights like dumbbells to put them under stress. The consequent response of muscle shows an increase in its size.
Despite being considered exercise only for aesthetic value, increased muscle mass improves glucose and insulin levels and lowers the risk of various cancers and osteoporosis. The results are rapid; thus, adherence is better as the process is rewarding.
My Experience
All in all, be mindful that every regimen has pros and cons – exercise is a personal choice and should be suited to one’s needs. Although having a personal trainer is highly desirable, understanding the requirements of your own body and lifestyle holds paramount importance in choosing a regimen that caters to your preference and goals.
