How you begin to exercise will vary from person to person. If you have not exercised for a long period of time, have been inactive for a while, or are severely overweight you MUST start slowly, increasing your exercise time gradually, by perhaps only a few minutes for each session per week.

 

Combine a carefully structured nutritious diet with a simple but effective exercise routine and this can help make you feel better, look better and will almost certainly enable you to enjoy life more.

 

Aerobic Fitness

 

Aerobic exercise is simply defined as any sustained activity that increases the supply of oxygen to your muscles via the blood pumped by your heart. With regular exercise, your cardiovascular system will become stronger and more efficient. Your recovery rate i.e. the time taken for your heart to reach its normal resting level, will also decrease.

 

Initially you may only be able to exercise for a few minutes each day. Do not hesitate to breathe through your mouth should you need more oxygen. Use the "talk test". If you cannot carry on a conversation while exercising, you are working too hard! However, aerobic fitness will be gradually built up with regular exercise, over the next six to eight weeks.

Do not be discouraged if it takes longer than this to begin to feel less lethargic, everyone is different and some will achieve their targets quicker than others. Work at your own, comfortable pace and the results will come. The better your aerobic fitness the harder you will have to work to stay in your target zone.