One thing that most people agree about exercising is that each of us determine what we can do and can’t do, and how hard we push ourselves for that. There are some people who follow the all or nothing procedure and have the firm belief that if exercise is going to be good, then it must be hard and painful. Frankly, this is nothing but a myth and something far away from the truth.
Somewhere in the late 1990s, a shift happened about exercise recommendations. Experts realize the benefits of modern intensity exercising. Now before you go and end up breaking your back, by doing some hardcore exercises, free your mind. Firstly, relax and then try to come up with a workout which you might stick with and even enjoy doing. Basically, whatever exercise you do, you must really enjoy the experience you gain as once you really feel happy with the kind of workout you are doing, you will most probably continue to do it.
Determining Intensity
There are various methods one can use for measuring the intensity of an activity, and they will easily provide the indication on how much efficient the body is functioning. Of course, in such situations, you might want to monitor the metabolic rate, and there are few individuals who know the method of doing so. While you are monitoring your metabolic rate, there are some guidelines you need to follow.
You might be challenged to do some moderate intensity activity, which is not expensive and won’t involve any advanced testing but will allow you to break a sweat and even elevate your heart rate.
There is one method you can follow, while you are working out, speak continuously and loudly for about 20-25 seconds. Keep in mind that if you feel that it is a bit challenging but not so difficult, especially when you are occasionally grasping for air between words, then no doubt, you are working on the correct intensity.
There is another method of measuring the activity level. Here it involves estimating the effort you put in on a scale from one to ten. This is simply based on the perception of the effort you take. If your activity level score is between four and six, then it is kind of acceptable and is regarded as a moderate intensity activity.
Getting Limitless Choices
With regards to the kind of activities you want to do at moderate intensity, there are few limitations. Health specialists recommend that one must try to save up to 30 minutes or more of physical activity on most days or all the days in a week. This can be done at a stretch of 30 minutes as whole or break it into consecutive 10-minute segment all around the day.
Getting thirty minutes each day is simply enough for maintaining one’s health and reducing the chances of getting chronic diseases. In addition, if you are thinking of gaining additional weight or losing weight, and want to improve your health, then you need to exercise for a longer period and even at higher intensity. Some people go for brisk walking and it is an ideal one as it can be incorporated into one’s busy schedule. Plus, it leads to lower injury rates and one won’t need any kind of special equipment or skill.
However, you mustn’t forget about the things you do every day. Various activities that you do daily can be helpful, like gardening which provides huge opportunity to improve one’s muscle strength. Even doing activities like vacuuming the carpet or waxing the car can develop stamina and muscles. Keep in mind that in such kind of exercises or exercising program, the amount of exercise you do must be adapted or in accordance with the intensity, duration and sometimes frequency of exercising.
A Lot of Exercising
Do you know exercising can be beneficial for both body and mind? Not only it makes you fit but even lowers the chances of developing certain diseases and sickness like cardiovascular diseases or type 2 diabetes. But there are few youngsters or young adults who constantly exercise a lot, thereby pushing themselves a lot harder, reaching to a point of feeling physically sick and exhausted.
What Leads to Compulsive Exercising
Sometimes, there are chances that an exercise regime which starts with a good intention might become compulsive. This is only if the workout regime is done for wrong reason. Some of the reasons are –
1) Taking Weight Loss to Extreme Level
Most people opt for exercising to lose weight. So, if an individual exercise in moderation, then this so-called exercising will become an integral part of the weight loss plan. But there are certain adults who hold themselves to certain unrealistic ideals. They believe that extreme dieting and exercising can be good for the body.
In such case, you need to realize that exercise is done to burn off the unwanted calories consumed in a day. Now this will really be unhealthy and bad for your body. Sometimes it might lead to certain injuries and most importantly to undernourishment.
2) Awry Stress Management
There is no doubt in the fact that exercising is the best stress management technique. However, you do need to keep in mind the fact that doing too much is unhealthy. Here, in this situation, exercise is simply done to regain control over one’s health or trying to move away from stressed situations.
Doing extreme amount of workouts won’t solve the issue. There are chances that it might aggravate the issue or the situation the body is in. In addition, the more time you end up spending in gym, the less will time spend in doing other stuffs. Of course, you must remember that along with physical activity, your body even needs good amount of rest.
3) Over Exercising
You already know that if you can’t get good amount of physical activity, then you have the risk of getting Type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart diseases, and other major diseases which are related to sedentary lifestyle. Now most people aren’t aware that over-exercise itself causes various issues.
Now if you are over-exercising, then it means you aren’t providing your body with the required nutrients and it even means you are restricting your diet. Slowly, you will see that you start to lose the fat and muscle. If your body can’t get the required time to rest as well as recuperate, then there is a high chance of getting injuries like muscle strains and stress fracture. Chances are there for certain adults to undergo joint replacement surgery at a young age of twenty as there is too much tear and wear on their ligaments and muscles.
When you are an adult, your body is developing as well as growing, therefore it is necessary that you nourish it in a proper manner. Over exercising will sometimes hinder the normal development and growth of your body. Some women who over exercise and even overeat following a restrictive diet will not have periods and can develop osteoporosis.
Getting Help
If you feel that you have started to exercise quite compulsively, you must make sure that you reduce the amount of exercise that you are doing. In such situation, you can take some extra days off each week. Also, you have the option to reduce some time from your daily exercise. Even you have the option to reduce your workout 10 to 15 minutes and then use the time to stretch.
Now if you are really having a whole lot of issue in reducing the amount of exercise you do and really feel guilty, scared, and even angry with missing the exercise, then the time has come for you to get some help. In such scenario, it is a wise thing if you speak with a expert or you can even discuss with your parents, coach, or any other trusted individual.
Permanent or Serious Health Damage Caused Due to Compulsive Exercising
Unlike other kind of workout or exercising, compulsive exercise is closely related to eating disorder. So, if you really feel the issue is beyond exercising, then you really need to check out for signs for eating disorder and consult your doctor. You can easily check out and see the details of various community agencies that assist individuals in dealing all kinds of eating disorder.
Eating Food in Moderation
In Western diet, some people feel that eating a various range of food can sometimes reduce the chances of having micro nutrient deficiencies. In the same way, if you avoid overindulging in certain kind of food, it will easily assist in mitigating the basic harm of overexposure to certain food stuffs like sugar, heavy metals or industrial chemicals.
Here the idea is very simple. You need to keep in mind that there is no point in consuming or following a broad diet, especially if you are consuming something that is quite rubbish, one which has refined carbohydrate, alcohol and processed meats. You can try to consume seven various kinds of grains which consist of corn, wheat, rice, rye, barley, sorghum, and basic buckwheat but not every time it is going to improve your health. In the same case, by drinking various or seven kinds of beer will be delicious and fun, however, it is better if you have one type or still better none of it.
In addition, there are certain food stuffs which aren’t even healthy in moderation. Various aspects like high fructose corn syrup, trans fat, corn oil, etc are bad for your health, irrespective of the quantity that you consume, and it needs to be fully avoided. Therefore, it means that you need to take all the things in moderation and have a balanced diet. This is the major mantras that you need to follow– take a diet that makes you happy and gets you healthy.
Besides these factors, there are other dogma which one needs to address about weight loss and eating a balanced diet. Here you need to keep in mind that the balanced diet must include food stuffs of all groups. Most of the nutritionists and dietitians have brainwashed many individuals in believing that if you cut out all the entire food stuffs, it will be dangerous, sometimes even detrimental to your health.
Keep in mind that there is no basic science or any logic about this that support this argument. For the human body, it needs some important and even essential amino acid (which is nothing but called proteins), some fatty acids (which is normal fat) and the essential micro nutrients (which is the minerals and vitamins). However, you need to keep in mind that there isn’t anything called food group or the one that provides the required carbohydrates.
Here whatever, minimal nutrition you consume will be leaving out certain necessary nutrients in terms of legumes and grains. Such things must be available in greater quantities and even greater bio availability which is available in meat, seafood, fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts. Not many people know that nutritionally, if you check grain excel in basic two parameters – which is calories and carbohydrates. Most surprisingly, these are the basic two things which are over-consumed in Western diet. And most importantly, these are the major reasons for diabetes and obesity.
Conclusion
Unlike exercising, eating in moderation or exercising is a serious disease. It is not something which can be detected easily, but you do have to be cautious. In such case, you really need to consult a good doctor if you really want to know the truth. A doctor’s consultation and advise can be better, as such experienced people will help you to be healthy. A health mind and body are really the best way to live and even for a long life.
It is a marathon and not a sprint. Pace yourself and set small goals along the way. Do not get distracted and keep on going. You will see a better you in time to come.
