What is exercise...

Wiki says, Physical exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health. It is performed for many various reasons. These include strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system, honing athletic skills, weight loss or maintenance and for enjoyment. Frequent and regular physical exercise boosts the immune system, and helps prevent the "diseases of affluence" such as heart disease, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and obesity It also improves mental health, helps prevent depression, helps to promote or maintain positive self-esteem, and can even augment an individual's sex appeal or body image

Webster.com defines it as ...
1 a : the act of bringing into play or realizing in action : use b : the discharge of an official function or professional occupation c : the act or an instance of carrying out the terms of an agreement (as an option) —often used attributively
2 a : regular or repeated use of a faculty or bodily organ b : bodily exertion for the sake of developing and maintaining physical fitness
3strong : something performed or practiced in order to develop, improve, or display a specific capability or skill >

So basically any activity can be exercise if done to a level that improves your overall health, but to me exercise is also an activity that you enjoy doing and thus aren't to adverse to doing it. We ran everywhere in the army, all the time, 24-7. That's serious physical activity. Since we all didn't really enjoy it, although some did, and thrived on it, I wouldn't call it exercise. When we were kids and there was no playstation3 or Wii, and we played baseball, basketball or football, jumped rope all day, or played tag, that's exercise! so while there are three main types of exercise... Aerobic exercise is one that works and improves the oxygen consumption in the body. These are normally activities that are going to require a exertion of near maximum effort for a extended period of time. To be done properly, you need a warm up, then the workout and then a cool down period. This allows the heart rate to reach optimal levels through out the workout. Some basic aerobic exercises would be biking, swimming, running (jogging) dancing..

The next type of exercise is anaerobic, as you might expect, its exactly what aerobic exercise is not. Its intense activity, for a short period of time, It puts demands on the body for more oxygen than it brings into the body. It requires energy stored in the muscles also known as ATP(Adenosine-5'-triphosphate ). some classic types of this exercise are Weight Lifting, sprints, and interval training. Isometrics also falls into this category this is when one body part is used to provide Resistance to another as in Pilate's.

Lastly and most certainly most important is stretching. Stretching increase flexibility, which increases range of motion, Increasing range of motion, gives you a broader range for doing Anaerobic exercise. If you re going to be sprinting and you don't warm up, your performance is going to be much less than desirable compared to the sprinter who stretches and warms up. Stretching is also a key way to avoid injuries. By stretching your warming up the muscles slightly but enough to stimulate them avoiding cold start injuries, such as pulls, or muscle cramps. Some classic stretching exercise programs would be Tai-Chi or Yoga.

The idea exercise routine will incorporate all three of these types of exercise in a mix that will help you reach the goals you've set for yourself.

The trick is to pick a routine that fits your personality. Someone who shuns away from physical contact may not want to take up wrestling in order to get fit. Someone who doesnt like to be alone shouldnt start self training for a marthon.

Heres a quiz I found on Prevention.com. Click here. The quiz nailed my prefences down pretty quick.

Once we figure out what we want... and will actually do, we can start looking for a place to start our journey. Next lets talk about what you should look for in a gym.







Exercise -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_exercise
http://websters.com
http://prevention.com