The majority of people do sedentary work and travel about mostly by car. As physical mobility has decreased, systematic exercise and targeted training have become the principal means for improving our condition.

In modern life, fitness means at least the ability to cope with everyday physical tasks without overstraining oneself. That you have the energy to succeed in your daily work and pursue leisure activities, and can also cope with stressful situations - both mental and physical. Sound physical condition is the cornerstone of health.

When you're fit, your circulatory and respiratory organs are in good condition and your muscles are more supple. Fitness is an integral part of our quality of life and comprises physical, mental and social performance. And physical performance is a primary basis for maintaining mental and social activity. Being fit feels good and it really shows!

It has been proved beyond doubt that exercise has a great many benefits. We now know that it:

• increases your capacity to work and tolerance to stress
• improves your ability to concentrate and builds self-confidence
• promotes normal and healthy feelings of fatigue at the right times and helps you to sleep better
• slows the effects of ageing
• raises your general level of activity
• helps in maintaining social relations
• supports efficient functioning of the respiratory organs, circulatory system and heart; blood pressure stabilises, the level of benign cholesterol rises and the risk of heart disease diminishes
• helps you maintain your blood sugar balance and avoid diabetes
• means joints remain supple and muscles become stronger; back pain is often eradicated through strong back and stomach muscles
• strengthens bone tissue, keeps muscles in good condition and diminishes the risk of osteoporosis
• regular exercise helps you both control your weight and lose it
• improves and stabilises digestion

It's easy to make a preliminary analysis of your fitness level. Answer the following questions honestly and you'll have a fairly reliable guide to your condition:

• Do you avoid walking and even light exertion?
• Do you get tired and out of breath easily?
• Do you always take the lift rather than the stairs?
• Do you weigh more than you should?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, it's time to start training!

And remember that exercise is like food and sleep - we need it regularly. Schedule your programme properly and exercising is not a burden but something to enjoy, like a delicious meal or a good night's sleep.

TRAINING

Choose your ideal way to train and get going

When you've not exercised for a long time, you should have your condition checked and consult a doctor, if:

• you are over 40
• your physical condition is poor
• you suffer from a chronic illness or have health problems, or
• you have injuries to or problems in your muscle system

Choosing the right way to exercise depends on your goals. The table shows how effectively these particular sports improve different areas of fitness.

 

Golden rules for successful exercise

How often?
For endurance exercising it's good to exercise at least 3 times a week, but remember for your health that once a week is better than not at all. The effects of exercising will show after just a few weeks

How long?
If you're very unfit, start with a 20 minute workout. Once your condition improves, you can train for 30-60 minutes depending on your goal.

How hard?
Set the most efficient and safest training level on the basis of your pulse rate. Almost all DM Fitness equipment has a meter for measuring pulse rate.

Follow the orders of a doctor or exercise professional to help set your exercise level. Remember that life-long fitness requires life-long training! You can exercise in many different ways. Once you have decided to change your life and start regular exercise, remember the advantages of indoor training with fitness equipment.

• Train efficiently and safely whatever the weather

• Train in peace and free of disturbance at any time suitable to you

• Make training more pleasant by listening to the radio or watching TV while you exercise

• Training at home is ideal for busy professionals whose lifestyles makes it hard to find time to get to the gym

• Indoor training is well-suited to the elderly, convalescents and the overweight

• Training is safe and suitably varied only with purpose-made, high-quality equipment

• Design your personal training programme together with a fitness expert

Select fitness equipment that best meets your requirements, interests you and which you will enjoy using. Think first what type of exercise you prefer and what aspect of your condition you want to improve in particular. You'll get the best results by using different equipment to make exercising as varied and motivating as possible.

No matter what type of exercise equipment you choose, the most important thing is that you enjoy training with it!

EXERCISE LEVEL

Correct Exercise Is More Important Than Just Any Exercise

Exercise Level
The best training to improve your general fitness is properly efficient, not too heavy and not too easy. It's good to sweat while working out, but important still to be able to talk comfortably e.g. while jogging. This type of exercise is called aerobic or endurance exercise and your body produces the required energy by burning body fat with the aid of oxygen. This leads to a reduction in fat tissue. As Hippocrates stated a long time ago: "Exercise should first be light, gradually increasing, gently warming and not too straining. Exercising should to a great extent be natural and there should be plenty of it; heavy exercise should be practised sparingly and only when necessary".

No matter what your goal, you'll get the best results by training at the right level of effort, and the best measure is your own pulse. First find your maximum pulse, i.e. where the rate doesn't increase with added effort.

These are average values and the maximum varies from person to person. The maximum pulse rate diminishes on average by one point per year. If you belong to one off the risk groups mentioned earlier in this guide, ask a doctor to measure your maximum pulse for you.

We have defined three different pulse zones to help you with targeted training. Nearly all DM Fitness equipment offers telemetric heart rate measurement to keep your exercise pulse on track within the right limits. If your equipment lacks this feature, you can measure exercise pulse on e.g. your wrist or neck vein. Count the beats for 30 seconds after a few minutes' exercise and multiply the result by two.

Beginner
50%-60% of maximum heart rate
This level is also suitable for weight-watchers, convalescents and those who haven't exercised for a long time. Three sessions a week of at least a half-hour is recommended. As your condition improves, you can train for an hour at a time. Regular exercise considerably improves beginners' respiratory and circulatory performance and you will quickly feel your improvement. Weight-loss exercise ideal for metabolising fats at this level must be low tempo and long-duration, and at least 30 minutes 3-5 times a week.

Trainer
60%-70% of maximum heart rate
This level is perfect for improving and maintaining fitness. Even reasonable effort develops the heart and lungs effectively, training for a minimum of 30 minutes at least three times a week. To improve your condition still further, increase either frequency or effort, but not both at the same time! Training at this level is ideal for building endurance fitness.

Weight-watchers will also benefit at this level, once fit enough to train for longer periods.

Active Trainer
70%-80% of maximum heart rate
Exercise at this level suits only the fittest and presupposes long-endurance workouts.

The table shows the maximum pulse rates for people of different ages and recommended pulse zones, especially for weight-watchers and endurance training.

Please exercise safely and always consult your doctor before you enter into an exercise program.

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