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FITNESS & EXERCISE

"Sport to many Australians is life and the rest is a shadow."  Donald Horne: The Lucky Country

Exercise is a major part of Australian life and is becoming more important.  On these pages, you will find useful information that will help you in beginning an exercise program as well as hints and tips to help prevent injury.

Research points to the positive benefits of exercise for overall health and wellbeing:
 

  • Increased "stamina" or cardiorespiratory endurance: Exercise can help increase the fitness of your heart as your body becomes more used to regularly transporting oxygen-rich blood from your heart and lungs to your muscles. This in turn helps increase stamina in your everyday activities. The increased fitness of your heart can help control risk factors associated with heart disease, eg. high blood pressure and obesity.
  • Weight control: Exercise, in particular aerobic exercise, burns energy (calories) and lower intensities of exercise have the potential to burn fat which can help people achieve and maintain healthy body fat levels.
  • Reducing the risk of potential health problems: Regular exercise has been shown to reduce the risk of a variety of diseases that are becoming more common including:
    • Heart disease 
    • High blood pressure
    • Colon Cancer  
    • Breast Cancer
    • Strokes
    • Stress, Anxiety and Depression
    • Diabetes
  • Improving bone and muscle health: Strengthening exercises help strengthen bones and muscles which lead to increased joint flexibility and range of motion in addition to improving endurance. This can help slow the progression of degenerative bone diseases such as Arthritis and Osteoporosis.

 

Source: Elrick H., "Exercise: The best Prescription", The Physician and Sportsmedicine, Vol 24, No 2, Feb 1996

"Aerobic Exercise: The Health Benefits",www.mydr.com.au  

 

To be effective, exercise programs should be well balanced. They should contain a healthy mix of cardiovascular, strengthening and flexibility exercises in order to make the program beneficial. Some examples of these exercises are shown below:

 

Exercise Category

Benefits

Examples

Cardiovascular/Aerobic Exercise

  • It helps your heart and lungs function better, controls blood cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
  • It relieves stress and improves efficiency.
  • Treadmill
  • Walking, running
  • Cross trainer
  • Stepper
  • Rowing machine
  • Cycling
  • Aerobic classes
  • Swimming

Strengthening Exercise

  • Shapes and tones your muscles.
  • Helps you burn kilojoules/energy while at rest.
  • Strengthens bones, reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
  • Machine weights
  • Free weights
  • Push-ups/pull-ups
  • Resistance bands
  • Sit-ups
  • Squats
  • Lunges

Flexibility Exercise

  • Provides relief from stiffness and stress.
  • Helps keep muscles loose, reducing risk of injury.
  • Yoga-based
  • Pilates-based
  • All stretching exercises

Source: "Fitness Program", Active for Life", www.activeforlife.com.au/exercise.asp?page=main/exercise/fitness+program   

 

Before undertaking any exercise, you should complete a warm-up and stretching period. Your exercise should be finished with a cool-down program. This is the best way to help prevent injury and help you to exercise safely and effectively.

 

Always consult a doctor or healthcare professional before beginning a fitness program.

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