creative movement
Exercise in any form is good. You don’t even need a lot of extra time for it. Try to organize your daily life in such a way that you get more exercise.
If you are not used to exercise, start slowly and build up to half an hour of light exercise a day. Remember that doing something is always better than doing nothing.
The first goal
The first goal is to make more exercise a part of daily life; this is not as difficult as it may seem. There are several activities that automatically get you moving.
Start by doing one of the following daily activities:
- Using stairs.
- Walking to work.
- Park a little further and walk the rest.
- Shopping by bike.
- Swimming.
- Get off the bus a few stops earlier.
- Walk more intensively when shopping.
- Stretching while watching TV.
- Working in the garden.
- Playing with the (grand) children.
- Walking while talking on the phone.
- Do a video workout.
- Take a short walk during your lunch break.
- Going out and dancing.
- Stretch and stretch, and stay active while housework.
These are all little things you can do to get more exercise in everyday life. Be creative in finding ways to keep moving.
For example, an active day can start with ten minutes of morning exercise. Then cycle fifteen minutes in the afternoon and at the end of the afternoon walk five minutes to the store to do some shopping.
The second goal
‘Being fit’ means something different for everyone. For a top athlete, being fit means having the level to play a match at the top level. For most people, however, being fit means having enough energy to meet the demands of the day. The better you feel, the more active you can be.
Half an hour of exercise a day is a great start, but research shows that it is necessary to exercise more. For optimal health and to prevent obesity, scientists recommend 60 minutes or more of light exercise or 30 minutes or more of vigorous exercise per day.
A total program to really stay fit also includes activities that are aimed at improving endurance, muscle strength and flexibility. A good fitness program contains the following components:
- Endurance – conditional activities for the condition of the heart and blood vessels.
- Muscle strength and physique – resistance training to maintain sufficient strength, muscle endurance and lean body mass.
- agility – flexibility exercises to develop and maintain mobility.
Examples of physical activities that aim to improve endurance, muscle strength, and agility include:
- Endurance: game sports, dancing, walking, rowing, jogging, cycling, cycling, swimming, aqua fitness, ice skating and cardio fitness.
- Muscle strength: fitness, gymnastics, rowing, stair climbing, hiking/climbing, martial arts and technical numbers in athletics.
- Agility: yoga, pilates, ballet, swimming, gymnastics exercises, taekwondo, gymnastics.
exercise tips
Finally, some tips to get and keep moving in a responsible way:
- Start slow and build up gradually.
- There is a suitable exercise activity for everyone.
- Choose an activity that you enjoy and that suits you.
- Discuss the choice of movement with a doctor if necessary.
- Nature activities, such as cycling and hiking, are also suitable.
- Get more out of the activities by increasing the duration, intensity or frequency.
- Exercise on as many days of the week as possible.
- Adjust the movement to the possibilities of that moment.
