Steps To Getting Started; Balance Fitness - Schwinn Airdyne User Manual

g e t o ff o n t h e rig h t f o o t an d stay m o tivat e d. Realiz e t hat an y n e w habit is
difficult t o establish at first, b u t it can b e d o n e. F ollo w t h ese st e ps an d y o u'll
b e o n y o u r w ay t o establishin g an d usin g y o u r h o m e fit n ess ce n t er f o r
i m p r o ve d h ealt h an d fit n ess. Enjo y t h e jo u r n ey!
√ Get a physical exam.
t o an exercise p r o g ra m , b e su r e t o co nsult wit h y o u r fa m ily p h ysician.
Esp ecially if y o u'r e o ver 35, have h ealt h p r o ble ms o r have a hist o ry o f
h ear t disease in y o u r fa m ily.
√ Begin planning for your home fitness center.
r o o m in y o u r h o use o r apar t m e n t t hat is exclusively f o r fit n ess, an d m ake
su r e t hat it is as co m f o r table as p ossible so y o u'll e njo y usin g it. If y o u like
m usic o r like t o lo ok o u tsid e w hile exercisin g, m ake su r e t h ese t hin gs ar e
accessible. D o n o t f o rce y o u rself t o exercise in a par t o f t h e h o use t hat
isn't co m f o r table, y o u will n o t f e el m o tivat e d t o exercise.
√ Do you need a companion?
frie n d t o t rain wit h w h o lives n ear b y. Enco u ragin g y o u r sp o use o r child r e n
t o exercise wit h y o u is an excelle n t w ay t o stay m o tivat e d an d p r o m o t e
fa m ily u nit y.
√ Make fitness a part of your daily lifestyle.
just as y o u w o uld an y o t h er ap p oin t m e n t. Ke e p t h e ap p oin t m e n t; y o u'll b e
glad y o u did.
√ Use affirmations.
t o acce p t n e w b eliefs. Th ey sh o uld b e p ositive stat e m e n ts. "I a m livin g a
h ealt hier lif est yle b y exercisin g several ti m es p er w e ek at h o m e." Re p eat
y o u r affir m atio ns several ti m es p er w e ek.
■ Home Fitness Planning Worksheet
Tar g e t dat e t o b e gin exercise p r o g ra m:_____________________
Ti m es o f day I can exercise:
Ti m e #1________________________
Ti m e #2________________________
Ti m e #3________________________
Days o f t h e w e ek t hat ar e g o o d f o r m e t o w o rko u t:
Day #1_________________________
Day #2_________________________
Day #3_________________________
Activities I w o uld like t o exp eri m e n t wit h:
Activit y #1 _____________________
Activit y #2 _____________________
Activit y #3 _____________________
Exercise g oals I wish t o acco m plish:
Goal #1_________________________
Goal #2_________________________
Goal #3_________________________
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If y o u have b e e n inactive f o r several years o r n e w
Se t asid e a p o r tio n o r a
If y o u p r ef er t o exercise wit h so m e o n e, fin d a
Inclu d e it in y o u r daily plan n er
Affir m atio ns will h elp y o u p r o g ra m y o u r su bco nscio us
In divid uals w h o will su p p o r t m e in m y exercise p r o g ra m:
Perso n #1_______________________
Perso n #2_______________________
Perso n #3_______________________
In divid uals w h o can w o rko u t wit h m e:
Perso n #1_______________________
Perso n #2_______________________
Perso n #3_______________________
Over t h e last 25 years, ever since t h e in t r o d uctio n o f Dr. Ke n n e t h Co o p er's
b o ok, Aer o bics, m an y in divid uals have f ocuse d o n w alkin g, r u n nin g, cyclin g,
swi m m in g, an d o t h er t y p es o f aer o bic activit y as t h eir o nly m eans o f exercise.
Un f o r t u nat ely, t his has le d t o m any o f t h ese sa m e p e o ple n e glectin g o t h er
key co m p o n e n ts o f fit n ess; such as stre n g t h trainin g, flexibility an d b o dy
co m p ositio n. Many o f us lack t h e stre n g t h t o carry a f ull back o f g r oceries, o r
t h e flexibility t o pick u p o u r sh o es wit h o u t b e n din g at t h e kn e es. In ad ditio n,
as w e have ag e d, w e have re place d m uscle tissu e wit h fat tissu e.
Co n tin u e d w o rk b y Dr. Co o p e r at t h e Instit u t e o f Ae r o bics Research, is
sh o w in g t h at in ad ditio n t o t h e n e e d t o stress o ur cardiovascular syst e m, t hat
m ore at t e n tio n n e e ds t o b e place d o n b uildin g stro n g er m uscles an d increasin g
join t flexibility. Th ey are talkin g ab o u t t h e b e n efits of balance d fit n ess: r e g ular
p h ysical activit y t h at in clu d es st r e n g t h t rainin g an d flexibilit y (st r e t chin g) in
ad ditio n t o ae r o bic co n ditio nin g.
F o r m an y y ears, " fit n ess" h as b e e n solely a m easu r e o f car dio vascular
(ae r o bic) e n d u ran ce. An d, w hile ae r o bic fit n ess is t h e co r n e rst o n e f o r h ealt h
an d q u alit y o f lif e, t h e r e ar e t w o o t h e r co m p o n e n ts t h at ar e n early as i m p o r-
t an t. W h e n d ev elo pin g y o u r h o m e fit n ess p r o g ra m it is o nly ap p r o p riat e t h at
y o u d ev elo p all t h r e e co m p o n e n ts in o r d e r t o achiev e b alan ce d fit n ess, an d
t h us o p ti m al h ealt h an d q u alit y o f lif e. Th e t h r e e co m p o n e n ts ar e:
— M uscle st r e n g t h
— Car dio vascular fit n ess
— Flexibilit y

■ Balance Fitness

Man y p e o ple co nsid erin g b e gin nin g a balance d h o m e fit n ess p r o g ra m still
t hink " n o pain, n o gain." Th ey usually t hink t h ey have t o cycle o r lif t w eig h ts
u n til t h ey ar e o ver-tir e d an d t h eir b o d y ach es. This id ea o f fit n ess is o u t dat e d.
W hat t h ey d o n't r ealiz e is t hat, in a sh o r t ti m e usin g p r o p er g uid elin es, t h e
initial tir e d n ess o r so r e n ess will b e r e place d b y incr ease d e n er g y f o r w o rk an d
r ecr eatio n an d an incr ease d se nse o f w ell–b ein g.
Sin c e 1978, t h e A m e rica n C olle g e o f Sp o r ts M e dicin e (ACSM) h as h a d a n
in flu e n c e o n t h e m e dical a n d scie n tific c o m m u nities w it h its p ositio n st a t e-
m e n t o n "Th e Re c o m m e n d e d Q u a n tit y a n d Q u alit y o f Ex e rcise f o r D e v elo pin g
a n d Main t ainin g Fit n ess in H e alt h y A d ults." F o r t h e first ti m e sin c e 1978 t h e
ACSM h as r e vise d its r e c o m m e n d a tio ns o n e x e rcise f o r h e alt h y a d ults. Th e
n e w p a p e r p u blish e d in 1991 e x p a n ds a n d r e vises a d vic e o n car dio vasc ular
fit n ess a n d b o d y c o m p ositio n, a n d n o w r e c o m m e n ds t h a t y o u a d d r esis-
t a n c e t rainin g. This is n e w in f o r m a tio n t o t h ose o f us w h o h av e o nly cycle d,
ra n, s w a m , w a t c h e d o u r b o d y w eig h t a n d c o n t r olle d o u r die t t o a t t e m p t t o
m ain t ain fit n ess.
Balance d fit n ess can d o m o r e t o e nsu r e a lo n g, h ealt h y lif e t han just ab o u t
an y t hin g else kn o w n t o t h e m e dical co m m u nit y t o day. It's n ever t o o lat e t o
star t a fit n ess p r o g ra m b u t id eally, y o u sh o uld b uild st r o n g m uscles, flexibilit y
an d a st r o n g car dio vascular syst e m early in lif e an d e n t er t h e lat er years wit h
y o u r p h ysical p o t e n tial at its m axi m u m .

STEPS TO GETTING STARTED

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