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SOP - Physical exercise
Author: Carme Porcar. Let's do sport, in a healthy way
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what are its benefits?
what are its benefits?
Doing physical exercise has many benefits for your health. Let’s mention some of them:
- decreases risk of suffering from diverse diseases: cardiovascular, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes.
- improves immune response in front of infections.
- increases and extends the working capacity of our musculoskeletal system (muscles, bones, and joints).
- delays loss of body functions, particular to ageing.
- decreases sensation of tiredness and increases the physical and mental working capacity.
- increases well-being sensation, decreases anxiety, and improves your mood.
- helps to reduce stress.
- improves your self-esteem.
- enhances social relationships.
- improves memory and concentration, and helps in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.
- old people that have done physical exercise throughout their lives enjoy more quality.
- of life than sedentary people of their same age, lower risk of having fractures, better mood, better coordination and balance, and higher level of independence.
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Frequency, duration and intensity
How often?
The appropriate frequency to do physical exercise is from 3 to 7 times a week.
You should do it frequently, not just occasionally. You should plan your training, and increase workload progressively.
How long?
We suggest that you carry out an assessment of your physical capacities in a personalised manner.
The length of physical exercise may be from 15 to 60 minutes (with warm-up and cool down not included), and will depend more on physical status than on age or gender.
How intense?
You shouldn’t exceed your stamina. The intensity and quantity of exercise have to be in relation to your physical status. You shouldn’t make any effort that your body can’t take.
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any diet?
Do I have to follow any diet?
A balanced diet helps you to keep fit. Your diet has to be varied, rich in fruit and vegetables, dairy products, meat and fish. Carbohydrates have to account for 55% of your diet; proteins for about 15%; and fat for 30% of the total. ( see link nutrition).
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drinking water
Do I have to drink water?
Drink water before, during, and after exercise.
Water is fundamental for our health; this is the reason why we have to drink, because we need to replenish quickly. The more you sweat and the hotter it is, the more water you have to drink.
If exercise is more than one hour long, you should have isotonic drinks to regain minerals lost due to sweating. These drinks also make it faster to regain them.
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warm-up
Do I have to do some warm-up?
Do some warm-ups and stretching before physical exercise. The objectives of warm-ups are:
- Prevention of injuries.
- Increase of performance.
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cool down
Do I have to cool down?
When training ends, you shouldn’t stop at once. You should devote some time to cool down, by jogging a bit or stretching; in this way, you reduce recovery time.
Moreover, if you stop suddenly, you may feel sick or faint.
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medical exploration
Do I have to have a medical exploration?
It is convenient to have a medical exploration before some activity, as it is useful to detect health problems or to detect whether you have some predisposition to develop certain diseases or injuries.
Medical explorations should be repeated regularly, as they will be useful to control your health status.
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injuries
What if I have an injury?
You shouldn’t do any physical exercise if you have an injury.
You shouldn’t do sport again until the doctor recommends it to you. You should ask him if, in the meantime, you can do some alternative exercise.
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what exercise to choose?
What kind of exercise do I choose?
You should choose some sport appropriate for your age, your physical status, and your taste.
You should enjoy your favourite sport. Excessive mental tension can produce headaches, loss of appetite, and coordination impairment, which can increase the risk for an injury.
Some recommended exercises:
- walking, running, swimming, cycling, and so on.
- a circuit of exercise machines with light weights and many repetitions, where all parts of the body are exercised.
Preventive training has to include:
- muscle work
- motility
- flexibility
- coordination
- specific training
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weather conditions
How do I adjust to weather conditions?
If it is cold, wearing different light garments is better than a few thick garments, because the different air layers between garments will protect you from cold better.
If it is hot, you should wear few garments, made of natural fibres, which allow your body to perspire. It is very important that our body can reduce the excess of heat by sweating. You should always wear sun cream on those parts of your body exposed to the sun. The degree of protection has to be in relation to your skin type.
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How many hours do I have to sleep?
How many hours do I have to sleep?
You should sleep as much as you need to feel fine. During sleep, our body recovers from daily effort, and possible small injuries are repaired.. (see link sleep ).
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drugs
Do drugs damage?
You shouldn’t take forbidden products or medication with the aim of increasing performance illegally, as your health could be damaged.
Alcohol and tobacco are also harmful to your health. Besides, using drugs reduces sport performance (see link drugs).
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