Health-Check-up or Check-out & Get a Doctor's Advice

IMPORTANT - Before Starting a New Fitness Program

When it comes to medical care, the ability to talk to your healthcare provider openly is critical to obtaining the best overall care. It is especially important when it comes to the idea of beginning a regular fitness routine, especially if you have been led a sedentary lifestyle without any form of physical activity in years. How well you and your doctor communicate with one another will determine whether of not your relationship can become a healthy partnership. Taking an active role in your own health care makes your wellness a joint affair with your healthcare provider.

The first thing to talk to your doctor about what kind of exercise is most appropriate for you. The type of exercise that your healthcare provider will recommend will depend on whether you have any current health problems. In having the discussion with your healthcare provider, it is very important that you share with them some of your prior health issues as your healthcare provider may not be aware of all your health issues or easily found in your chart.

As a minimum precaution, you should have your pulse and blood pressure checked and it would be great to be able to take a basic stress or fitness test to help determine your current physical status. In addition, you should make a basic exercise plan and review it with your healthcare provider for potential feedback as you seek your healthcare provider's approval for the program you have in mind.

As you begin to consider a plan, think as much about the duration and frequency as you do about the actual activity. One can do the same activity for 10 minutes or 20 minutes or do two different sessions of 10 minutes each. If you are considering walking as your exercise, the options are unlimited as you can walk some every day, you can walk longer every other day, or you can walk fast one day and more slowly another. You can also walk on flat ground or on slopes, hills that are gentle rises or steeper inclines. Discussing with your healthcare provider the desire to do a walking regime can mean different things depending on the approach used.

If the development process is left to the healthcare provider to begin an exercise routine, healthcare providers will likely recommend at least one type of aerobic exercise, which forces you to breathe deeper and makes your heart work harder. Simple examples of aerobic exercise include walking, jogging, and bicycling. Your healthcare provider will also note the importance of starting off slowly, walking at a leisurely pace before doing any power walking and then walking at a brisk pace before jogging. If bicycling is the suggested activity, the advice will focus on beginning on level ground and again pedaling at a modest pace before increasing the difficulty or speed.

If you have particular physical problems then your healthcare provider will likely focus on one type of activity over another. For example, a person with problems with their feet or legs will seek suggestions that won't put stress on their feet. People with foot or leg problems will be steered towards exercises like swimming, bicycling, or even rowing, activities that put little or no stress on a person's feet or legs.

No matter what kind of exercise you want to be involved in, warming up is critical. As one ages, the need to spend 5 to 10 minutes in a very low impact activity is even more important. In addition, the need to cool down after exercising is as important. Doing basic stretches before and after exercising will prevent muscle stiffness and reduce the likelihood of injuries.

Even though your healthcare provider may not suggest it, a key element for developing a fitness routine is the importance of finding an exercise buddy. As exercising requires huge self-discipline, it is difficult to make and stick to a regular routine by yourself. Many people find that it is much easier to build a consistent exercise routine or pattern by finding some one else to exercise with. An exercise buddy can be a neighbor or friend but must be someone willing to commit to working out in the same pattern that you are doing and some people join an exercise class for that reason alone. The opportunity to interact with others is critical to help maintain motivation. However, it is essential to find a buddy or a class that is appropriate for the type of workout you are capable of doing. Being pushed into something that is too strenuous is absolutely the wrong approach to developing a consistent routine.

And finally, make it a point to walk whenever and wherever you can, whenever you need to go any place in your neighborhood. Walking is a great form of low impact exercise, but if one simply does enough walking research indicates that it can be just as beneficial as more vigorous forms of exercise. The key is both the duration and the regularity. Most importantly, you are getting much need exercise without actually taking the time from your day to exercise.