About this topic
When you exercise, you use the large muscles in your body over and over. When you exercise, your body needs more blood flow and oxygen than when you are at rest. The kind of exercise that makes your heart and lungs stronger is aerobic exercise. There are many things you can do like: ‚
- Walk
- Jog or run
- Dance
- Bike
- Swim
- Play sports
What will the results be?
Try to exercise a total of 30 minutes almost every day. You should exercise at a moderate pace to get good results from aerobic exercise. Some of these are: ‚
- Longer and healthier life
- Stronger heart and lungs
- Less risk of health problems such as:
- Cancer
- Heart problems
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Osteoporosis
- Depression
- Dementia or Alzheimers disease
- More body and bone strength
- Lower blood pressure
- Lower body fat and better control of body weight
- Less stress and better mood
- Better balance and less chance of falling
What problems could happen?
Talk to your doctor first to find out what exercises are safe for you. Ask for help from a skilled trainer or therapist who can set up a safe and healthy exercise program for you. If you do not do exercises the right way, you could get an injury. ‚
When do I need to call the doctor?
These could be signs of a serious life-threatening health problem. Call your doctor or go to the ER right away if you have: ‚
- Signs of heart attack. These include chest pain or pressure, a feeling of something sitting on your chest, trouble breathing, sweating, fast heartbeat, and dizziness.
- Signs of stroke:
- Numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg
- Blurred eyesight
- Not able to speak or know what some other person is saying to you
- Dizziness, loss of balance, or falling
- Very bad headache
- Change in behavior that is not normal
Call your doctor if you: ‚
- Feel weak
- Get any sharp or new pains from doing the exercise
- Get joint pain or swelling
- Have an increase in your blood pressure
- Get very tired from doing the exercise
- Have a problem keeping your balance
Helpful tips
For good exercise: ‚
- Do light walking and warm-up stretches before you begin.
- Start slowly and go for 5 minutes.
- Slowly add to your speed or strength.
- Do light walking and cool-down stretches before you finish.
- Wear clothes that allow you to move easily.
- If you are wearing shoes, choose sneakers or walking shoes. Shoes should give your feet good support with rubber or nonslip soles.
- Wear the right equipment when playing sports.
- If you have arthritis, try swimming and water exercise. These are not hard on your joints.
- Drink lots of fluids during exercise, especially in hot weather.
- If you are exercising in cold weather, wear many layers so you can remove them if needed.
Where can I learn more?
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons ‚
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00194 ‚
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion ‚
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/sgr/ataglan.htm ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚