The Whole Body Workout

Work up a sweat once a day - Spartan Saying, circa 430 BC

Aerobic walking will give you stamina and endurance (aerobic fitness), a strong heart and lungs, develop your lower body and tone some of your upper body muscles, but it cannot provide all the exercise you need for whole body fitness. Whole body fitness requires stamina, strength and suppleness, and performing the exercises in the Whole-Body Workout three a week will provide with this:

STAMINA- As you improve your stamina you increase the efficiency of your cardiovascular system: your heart and circulatory system. As the heart muscle becomes stronger and more efficient, it beats at a slower, more powerful rate, giving it less work to do in everyday life. These stamina building exercises are additional to the stamina that walking gives you.

STRENGHT – these exercises involve the repeated action of muscles against resistance. Regular local exercise is needed for the development and maintenance of good muscle tone, strength and endurance, giving you the ability to sustain pro-longed activity becoming tired. Stronger muscles mean that can lift and carry with greater ease.

SUPPLENSS- Suppleness is about flexibility. Good flexibility will enable you to use muscles and joints throughout the full potential range of movement – to bend, reach, twist and turn with case. After an initial warm-up, the best way to stretch a muscle is through a relaxed sustained stretch and not by forcing or bouncing your body into any position. Always stretch within your own capabilities- never stretch to the point of pain. The stretch should be applied gradually. Ease into the hold position and remain relaxed. A mild tension should be left- this should decrease as you hold.

Stretching is performed as two different levels. The easy stretcb, included in the warm-up, is pre-lengthen and prepare the muscles for work. The developmental stretcb, included in the cool-down, involves holding your static stretch for longer to help improve flexibility and range of movement.

Walking is a moderate exercise which allows you to build up to an aerobic level without straining yourself. Similarly, these exercises have all been designed to help you build stamina, strength and suppleness without straining yourself. The number of repetitions and the length of time that exercises are held is only a guide- if necessary, reduce them to what you find comfortable.

As an individual your level of fitness is unique. If you are unfit or overweight and have poor muscle tone and flexibility, then you must progress gradually with the exercises. You should never feel pain. You movements should flow naturally. Never force- keep within your own ability, learn to listen to your body and you will not go far wrong.

Whole-body fitness allows you to do the things you want to do when you want to do them. And it helps you control your weight, ease away stress, sleep better, feel more confident about yourself and look better, too