9 Essentials Of Exercise And Fitness — Image from canva.com

More and more people are becoming health conscious, resulting in a 3.7% growth in the fitness industry from 2014–2019. This trend should continue into 2022 and beyond. As a result, the number of first-timers in fitness will also increase.

After procrastinating for years, your reflection bothers you, and your body feels uncomfortable. So finally, you take the plunge. You have only two choices your health and well-being or continue to look and feel crappy.

So here you are about to start your fitness journey.

However, you are clueless.

Physical Education wasn't a topic you were fond of in school. A passing grade was more important than learning the subject.

Pass you did but might have well never attended the class because you didn't retain a thing.

Don't worry; I am here to help!

Lucky for you, I have run track for over twenty years. Not only that, but I am a Physical Education teacher and have coached track, football (soccer), and netball(similar to basketball), and worked as a fitness instructor for more than a decade.

Over the years, I have gained insights into exercise, fitness, and health that I will share with you. Hopefully, I will give you all you need to prepare for your new challenge.

I will start with the essential things I think beginners and even fitness enthusiasts need to know about exercise and fitness.

You can die

You can die from taking part in part in strenuous physical activity.

Sounds scary?

Don't worry, the truth is.

I don't mean to discourage you, but that's the reality.

Physical activity can kill you.

Although you are more likely to die from the lifestyle diseases caused by unhealthy living, there is a possibility that exercise can send you to the afterlife, and you should know.

It is unfortunate, but many people die during their exercise sessions. Most had a diagnosed heart condition, and some showed no sign of illness up to the time of their death.

A sedentary person with a heart condition engaging in vigorous physical activity for the first time is more likely to die suddenly than one who remains inactive.

Even though regular exercise may delay the death of a person with a sick heart, they are more likely to die during or after a dose of exercise.

Before starting your fitness journey, please consult with a medical doctor. It is even more critical if you are new to fitness ànd over thirty-five years.

According to the Journal of the American College of Cardiology issue, in February 2015, athletes over thirty-five are more likely to die while engaging in recreational or competitive sports. In addition, men in that age group are nine times more likely to die while participating in sports than women.

Accidental death is another way to meet your maker while exercising. Using gym equipment incorrectly or not paying attention is an invitation to the Grimripper.

Deadly accidents in gyms are crushing injuries from weights falling on the chest and falls from the treadmills.

You can prevent these situations by paying attention, knowing your limits, and always using a competent spotter when lifting heavy weights.

Know how to set fitness goals.

Now that the ugly truth is out the way, let's get to the lighter side.

You need to know how to set fitness goals. Without goals, you will wander around the fitness landscape, wasting your time.

Setting goals will keep you motivated and focused. It will also determine the type of activity you do.

If your objective is to run a marathon in the next six months, your exercise routine will differ from someone whose aim is to bench press three hundred pounds.

Someone who wants to gain muscles routine will be different from someone who wants a toned body.

Having a main goal makes it easier to set smaller measurable ones that are attainable in the short term and keep you motivated.

Many people get frustrated and quit fitness because they set unrealistic goals that are more difficult than what they are willing to do.

Have a fitness plan

Just like any pursuit in life, fitness requires planning.

Your goals will determine how you plan and what type of activities you do. Planing can be short or long-term. Your short-term plans should be detailed, showing what you will do each day and how much.

However, if you are new to fitness, it would be wise to consult with a professional. You can join a gym, use the instructor or hire a personal trainer. Piggybacking on an experienced friend or family and follow their routine until you learn the ropes.

You will need specialized training if you plan to learn a new sport or participate in a marathon.

Use the internet and connect with someone with the expertise to guide you. You can find hundreds of blogs and YouTube videos that fall in your particular niche. However, be careful when sourcing information online.

Not everyone who professes to be an expert knows what they are doing, so make comparisons and ask relevant questions.

The gym is not a magical place.

If you decide that the gym is the best place to get fit, be ready to put in some work. You will not achieve your goals without working consistently and sticking to your plan.

Always remember that the gym is not a magical place where fairies grant; your wish of a dream body once you sign up.

It takes smart work to achieve your goals.

I am Tired of seeing people go to the gym, work on their arms or legs, spend the most time with their phones, and expect to see results.

Your presence at the gym will not cause the perfect version of yourself to appear.

You have to work!

Work smart!

Doing the same thing every day is tedious and counterproductive.

Doing the same exercise every day will cause you to get discouraged. It doesn't matter what your fitness goals you need to mix things up to achieve them.

If sex, a human's favorite activity, can get uninteresting if there is no variety or spice. What do you think will happen with exercise.

You have to change things and make them challenging for you to grow. For instance, if your objective is to bench 300 pounds in six months, you wouldn't just do bench press only. Instead, you would do other activities to enhance your ability and reach your objectives.

Likewise, if you wanted to run a marathon in six months, you wouldn't run a marathon every day or every time you exercise. Instead, you would do various activities to enhance your ability to run a good race.

There are many ways to lose weight, get fit, and build muscles.

Watching YouTube videos or reading blogs, you get the feeling their training method is the only one that works.

However, that's not true.

There are many ways to skin a cat.

Sorry if I offend the cat lovers, but I don't believe in skinning cats or harming them in any way.

I am a pussy lover; therefore, I would do nothing to hurt your furry companions intentionally.

Regardless of your goals, there are many ways to achieve them. Like traveling from point A to B, you have many options.

Your choice depends on how fast you want to get there, time, money, and the experience you want.

You will travel on a cruise from the USA to Jamaica if you have days to spare.

However, if you want to reach your destination in a few hours, you would hop on a plane.

The same with exercise and fitness; doing body weight only exercise can get you strong and look good, and so is lifting weights. However, you probably get the result faster with free weights or resistance training than with body weight only.

Use the methods you are comfortable with based on your age, abilities, experience, and fitness goals.

You don't need to live in the gym to get good results.

Gym rat, you don't have to be to reach your objectives. There are more meaningful things to do than spend all day in the gym sweating.

If you are not a bodybuilder or trying to look like one, 45 to 90 mins three to four times a week is more than enough.

Spending long hours exercising will make you exhausted and keep you away from your family or other meaningful life experiences.

Doing a high-intensity workout within a short period is more effective than a long slow, drawn-out workout. These long repetitions could do more damage than good to your joints, especially if you are over 35 years.

Short high, intensity exercise increases the heart rate and burns more calories. From my experience, I find it more effective to do ten reps with medium weights than 30 reps with light weights.

I got a lot more from running ten 100m at close to max than jogging ten slow laps around a track.

Not even professional athletes spend an entire day workout. Instead, they break their training into two sessions_ morning and afternoon.

Each might last two to three hours.

Learn the correct ways of doing things.

As soon as you set foot in that gym or start running on that trail, learn the correct ways. Using the proper technique will save you time and money and prevent unnecessary hardship and pain.

Lifting weights incorrectly can send you to ER and cause life-changing damage to your body.

Worse, you can even die by attempting to lift heavy weights without a spotter. Not squatting with the correct technique can cause severe knee injury.

Shoulder and back injuries are common because people do not learn the correct lifting techniques.

Using proper techniques is safe and more effective at getting good results.

Too much exercise is bad for your health.

That's right.

Too much exercise is bad for your health.

Whenever you work out, you break down body tissue. These tissues will heal and grow stronger. As a result, you are more susceptible to viruses when doing high-intensity workouts. Catching flu is a lot easier because your immune becomes vulnerable.

Prolonged high-intensity training is only damaging the body without much gain. Your body needs rest to benefit from your hard work. Therefore you must plan rest and recovery in your training plan.

Having two high-intensity days back to back is not advisable.

Sometimes, the body organs break down and send people to hospital because of too much exercise.

Rhabdomyolysis, although rare, can result from too much exercise. Rhabdomyolysis, or rhabdo for short a cure when muscle fibers in the body get killed from excessive exercise. Dead muscle fires are released in the bloodstream, which causes pressure on vital organs such as the liver and kidney.

Conclusion

While regular exercise is good for your health and may prolong your life, ensure you are informed.

Doing the incorrect exercise is frustrating, wastes time, might cause you time and money, and possibly damage your health.

Therefore you need to be intelligent, consistent, and set reachable goals to get the reward from exercise.

9 Essentials Of Exercise And Fitness