How Often Should I Exercise?

Whenever people ask me “How often should I exercise?”, I feel they are missing out the second part of that sentence. The questions that pop into my head immediately are, “Exercise how often?" and "Exercise for what result?”

We are all individuals. We’re different people with diverse lifestyles. Not everybody eats the same amounts or the same types of food. Some people get a reasonable amount of healthy exercise quite naturally - from walking around the neighborhood or from the job they do. Others get some decent aerobic exercise through sport or hobby pursuits. And some of us just sit around, not doing much at all, and putting more calories into our bodies than we burn off for energy.

The result of having no regular exercise plan is that we pile on pounds (or kilos) of unwanted, ugly fat. Apart from just looking bad, excess fat makes us unattractive - so we tend to isolate more - and what do we do then? Many of us comfort eat. Food becomes our only friend. Needless to say, such a situation is very bad for our health. It can even be life-threatening.

But regular exercise is the just second piece of the puzzle to looking and feeling good. Regular, moderate exercise can help us to work off some of our excess fat; and if we’re lucky, we’ll convert some of it to muscle as well. Guys need a bit of muscle to look good. Women and girls look better with less bulk than males though... They don’t want to scare off the guys, for example. But a bit of obvious muscle tone does make a woman look taut and terrific. Guys do notice these things.

There are different levels of exercise for different results; and there are also different types of exercise.

An Olympic swimming champion or professional football player needs to train almost every day, and with very high intensity. They are at the peak of the profession (even though Olympians are officially meant to be “Amateurs”.) The competition is intense, and if they slacken off for a moment, someone else will seize their place.

We mere mortals can get by very nicely, thank you, with more moderate exercise two to four times a week. Most of us have jobs and family lives as well, so these have to be attended to. Our regular exercise can come from attending exercise classes (which personally, I find rather boring), or from regular walking, bicycling or swimming. Some like martial arts.

Incidentally, walking and swimming are both considered a “best exercise” by professional fitness coaches. I remember reading so years back when I had a copy of the Canadian Air Force’s 5BX Plan - an exercise and fitness handbook.

For some people, the answer will be to attend gym classes to get some good aerobic exercise. Burn off some fat and get your heart and lungs working more efficiently. That’s what they mean by the term cardio-vascular workout.

Some people will enjoy doing a bit of weight lifting, to build and shape their muscles. You can certainly do that, but it’s perfectly good exercise to go join a hiking or bush walking club and go on hikes, walks or treks with some new companions. Personally, I’d find that a lot more interesting. And it's a good social activity as well.

What you do is up to you. Just choose something active and stick with it long enough to make a difference. Later you can decide if another activity might suit you better for your health and fitness.

Next, What type of exercise is best to lose weight, to get fit and to stay fit?