Guidelines for Exercise

Chapter 4

What to consider before exercise

Medical Exam: If you are in good health prior to exercise, you will not need a medical exam. It is recommended that everyone that has poor health to have a medical exam.

Fitness Evaluation: You should evaluate your level of physical fitness prior to beginning a personal fitness program.

Goal Setting: both long-term and short-term goals are important before beginning an exercise program.

What you wear can make a difference

Comfortable/Supportive footwear

Comfortable socks: to prevent blisters

TShirt

Shorts/Warm-up pants

Exercising in hot weather

When you exercise, blood flow is concentrated in the working muscles, causing a heat buildup.

Hyperthermia: a reduction of body fluids or an increase in in body temperature.

Heat Cramps: certain muscles will contract involuntarily and will cause pain.

Heat Exhaustion: a condition characterized by profuse sweating accompanied by diziness and extreme weakness.

Exercising in hot weather cont...

Heat stroke: characterized by hot, dry skin and a rising body temperature which may reach 106 degrees.

Preventive measures for heat illness

1.Light-weight and perforated clothing with adequate exposure of arms and legs promote the escape of heat from the skin surfaces. Lighter colors are preferred since they reflect rather than absorb the sun’s rays.

2.Rubberized suits do not promote permanent weight reduction, as many people believe. Such suits can be very dangerous because they can cause an elevation of the internal body temperature.

Preventive measures for heat illness cont...

3. Drink fluids before, during, and following your exercise sessions. Hydrating is important even if you are not thirsty.

4. Wear a light-weight and light-colored cap to shade your head from the sun.

5. The use of salt tablets is not recommended.

6. During extremely hot days, try to exercise in the early or later portions of the day.

Exercising in cold weather

Hypothermia: excessive decline in body temperature.

Make sure to perform an appropriate warm-up before exercise.

1.Use thermal under and outer wear.

2.Wear gloves, face mask, and a hat.

3.Wear several layers of light clothing.

4.Do not overdress.

5.Wear water-resistant outer garments when exposed to snow or rain in addition to cold.

Warming Up

The warm-up is a 10 to 15 minute period during which you prepare your body for vigorous exercise.

Benefits of warming up

1.Helps you mentally focus your effort and makes you feel like moving.

2.Increases your heart rate and the blood supply to your muscles, thus preparing your cardiovascular and muscular systems for the workout.

3.Generates heat in the muscle and joint tissues, which makes them more flexible and resistant to injury.

Cooling down

The cool-down is a 10-15 minute period of mild exercise that follows your training session and allows your body and heart rate to return to their resting states slowly.

Benefits:

1.helps to prevent blood from pooling in the muscles you were using.

2.prevents tightened muscles from becoming sore.

Common injuries

1.Muscle Soreness

2.Blisters

3.Shin Splints

4.Stitch-in-the-side

5.Sprained Ankle