Before embarking on a Indianapolis fitness program, it’s important to sit down and outline your goals. What do you want to accomplish with your fitness program? Are your goals to lose weight, or increase your strength, or simply to benefit from a healthier lifestyle? Knowing what you want to achieve before you start will start you on the path of choosing the right fitness routine to help you reach your goal. In this article, we’ll take a look a few different exercise routines, their pros and cons, and how a Indianapolis fitness trainer can help direct you on the path to reach your goal.
Walking Routines
Walking is a great, balanced exercise for people of all ages, but those that truly wish to benefit from this routine will have to do more than take a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood. Walking at a faster pace than normal will help burn calories and keep the muscles working. Picking up the pace can be as simple as lengthening the strides and keeping the arms moving – not necessarily swinging but by bending the arms at the elbow.
For older folks, walking is a great way to help keep the body in shape, but younger people may not gain as many benefits and might want to augment their Indianapolis fitness program with another exercise. Walking may also be difficult for those that suffer from joint or muscle problems.
Swimming Routines
Those with joint or muscle problems may benefit from a swimming routine, which works the entire body without putting undue stress on joints and muscles. Swimming is great for those that want to work at their own pace, and beginners can slowly build up their endurance and eventually be able to swim continuously for as much as thirty minutes at a time.
However, if the goal is weight loss, swimming may not be as affective as choosing a workout routine outside the water. One of the benefits of working out outside of water is that the body temperature rises and the metabolism is increased for upwards of eighteen hours after exercise, but exercising in water results in the water conducting the heat away from the body, which means that the body temperature will not be raised and neither will the metabolism.
Resistance Routines
If your goals include increasing strength and muscle mass, doing a resistance routine may be the best choice. Not necessarily the best choice for losing weight or improving cardiovascular fitness, resistance training can at least help maintain body weight, as the muscles will use more calories than the fat. Resistance training can also be increased in difficulty with added repetitions or less time between exercises.
Trying to decide the best path to take isn’t always as simple as choosing a favorite sport or routine. Consulting a Indianapolis fitness trainer, who can assess your present fitness, strengths and weaknesses, can be a valuable asset to any one seeking to improve their health. Not only can a Indianapolis fitness trainer set you on the best path to reach your goals, but he will be with you every step of the way, to make sure you work in the safest way possible and to encourage you.
