You know exercise is important. In fact, exercise is crucial to develop good health and wellness. But what kind of exercise is best? No one perfect exercise exists. Instead, the best way to exercise is to incorporate several different kinds of exercise into your workout routine – four kinds to be exact.
The four core elements of exercise are aerobic exercise, strength training, developing core muscles and interval training.
Aerobic exercise is all about getting your heart pumping. As you perform aerobic exercises, like walking, running or using an elliptical, your immune system is activated and your stamina increases.
Strength training involves lifting weights for a certain number of repetitions. The goal is to lift the weights enough times that the exercise exhausts your muscles. It’s a good idea to alternate muscle groups on different days so you give your muscles a chance to recuperate before working them out again.
Developing core muscles can help you prevent injuries and develop better balance. Because the 29 core muscles in your back, abdomen and pelvis form your body’s foundation of movement, focusing on them can be prudent and rewarding. Two wonderful ways to develop your core muscles are through yoga and Pilates.
Interval training means alternating short, high-intensity exercises with recovery periods. There are two big benefits of this form of exercise – it can burn fat and condition your heart.
Practicing these four types of exercises will give you the variety needed to create muscle confusion and allow your muscles to increase in strength as you work. Just like how we work out our minds with a crossword puzzle or Sudoku, it’s great to work out our bodies by challenging different muscles.
If you want to improve your body all around, doing these four types of exercises will help you accomplish your goals. But if the thought of developing workouts with all of these different exercises seems overwhelming, don’t worry. The trainers at BeFit SRQ are here to help you develop personalized fitness routines that incorporate the four core elements of exercise so you can start building a better body and a better life.