Johan

Johan Oosthuizen is a full-time internet marketer and provides people with guidance on how to better themselves, by showing them how to live a healthier life, make more money and how to improve their relationship with other people

How Quickly Can You Get Fit After Years Of Inactivity?

Fitness Articles / By

Have you been inactive for years? Are you wondering how long it will take you to get fit after years of inactivity?

The short answer is “It depends!” How fast you get into shape is directly related to your present physical condition, and how fast your body reacts to physical conditioning. For example, someone 10 pounds overweight, with no physical limitations, will get into shape a lot faster than someone 50 pounds overweight with Type II diabetes and bad knees.

Not only will it take the second person longer to get in shape, but he or she will probably need to use a different strategy. The second person may never get to the fitness level of the first one. But remember that it is not a competition. It is individual and doing anything is better than doing nothing.

Getting fit after years of inactivity is like taking a car out for a drive after it has been sitting for ten years. If you are a car aficionado, you know you wouldn’t get in, and see how fast you could max out the r.p.ms in every gear. You would baby it along and gradually get it up to speed. The body after years of “non-use” is similar.

You want to start slow and gradually work your way up the fitness ladder. The American Heart Association recommends that a good place to start is to exercise three to four times per week, 30 to 60 minutes each time, with a target heart rate of 50% to 60% of your maximum heart rate. To calculate your maximum heart rate take 220 – your age (for men) or 226 – your age (for women).

For example, the maximum heart rate for a 50 year-old man would be 170. Sixty percent of that figure would be 102 beats per minute. Increase your level of activity over a 6-week period eventually getting your target heart rate up to 70 to 80% (80% would be 136).

A good place to start is with a mix of cardio and strength training. Walking, running, playing tennis, biking and swimming are all good cardio activities that will get your heart rate up to your target range. Of course before starting your exercise routine, (and after getting the okay from your doctor), be sure to warm-up with stretching.

If you have bad knees, then substitute an elliptical trainer for walking or running. And don’t even think of playing tennis. With either cardio or strength training, adjust time/intensity and weight/repetitions to keep your heart rate in the appropriate range. With strength training, start out light on weight and repetitions and work up.

The other half of getting fit is eating right. While you are at the doctor getting checked out to see if you are fit enough to start an exercise program, ask about a nutrition plan. It will be different for you if you have to lose a lot of weight than if you are already at the proper weight for your height and age.

Getting fit is about setting a goal and then gradually working up to reach that goal. Focusing only on reaching your goal as quickly as possible is just asking for a debilitating injury which could set you back months.

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Self-Help for Dealing with Stress

Self Improvement Articles / By

Stress invades people’s lives all the time, even daily for some. Life gets hard and it’s difficult to juggle all the things life throws at us. It’s important that we get our stress levels under control because frequent elevated levels of stress are toxic to the human body and can cause heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes. It’s easier than you may think to help yourself decrease your stress levels. Just follow these simple steps.

1. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants and do not decrease your levels of stress; they increase them. Alcohol is a depressant in large amounts and a stimulant in small amounts, making it bad for you to take as a way of relieving stress. Instead of reaching towards the alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine, grab some water or herbal tea. These are hydrating and provide you with stress relief.

2. Try taking part in physical activity. Stress releases hormones in your body known as adrenaline and cortisol. Releasing some of these hormones can help your stress levels to go down.

3. Get more sleep. Not getting enough sleep is a direct correlation to high stress levels. However, stress sometimes prevents us from relaxing enough to fall asleep. If you are having this issue, try taking a warm bath or reading before bedtime. Another good tip is going to bed at roughly the same time every night. This creates a routine for you to follow, naturally decreasing your stress.

4. Try relaxation techniques. Every day, try a different stress-reducing technique. You can try self-hypnosis as this is very simple and easy to do anywhere. You could also attempt saying one word repeatedly to yourself that holds meaning for you. Don’t worry if these relaxation tips don’t work right off the bat. Relaxation is a skill that takes time to master.

5. Talk to someone you trust and who can help. Letting someone know how you feel is a great way to reduce your stress. Many people have said that it’s like a weight being lifted off their shoulders. Stress can cloud our mind and prevent us from thinking clearly. Talking through your situation with someone can help you figure out a solution to what you’re stressing about.

6. Keep a stress diary. Keeping a diary and writing down your thoughts and emotions will help you become more aware of what you’re feeling. Write down the date and place the stressful event occurred. Also include what you were doing and how you felt, both emotionally and physically. Writing everything down will enable you to avoid another stressful situation and you’ll discover some new coping mechanisms.

7. Manage your time. Many people experience stress when they run out of time to do important things. With a schedule to follow you can ensure that you get all of your important tasks done in a timely manner. Having all your work done on time will help to decrease some stress.

8. Learn to say “No”. It’s easy to believe that you have all the time in the world and can juggle one more thing in your life. But sometimes you need to remember that you have so many other important things that needs to be juggled. There’s only a certain amount of hours in a day, making it hard to get multiple things done.

Take care of yourself. Stress invades everyone’s lives but dealing with stress is manageable. Know that everything will get better and the thing that’s causing you so much stress won’t be a worry to you down the road.

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