Exercises time and play, Basic principles of excercises

Exercise should become part of your daily routine. That means setting aside 30 minutes to an hour a day about five times a week. The daily activity period, or periods, should be considered as being as essential a part of your life as eating, sleeping, bathing, and dressing. Pick a time, or times, most suitable for you. If it is convenient for you to carry out much or all of your activity in one period each day, fine; divided periods of activity can also serve the purpose. Some people, early starters, like to exercise before breakfast. For others, this is impossible. Many men find it convenient to exercise late in the afternoon or before lunch. Never perform any exercise sooner than one hour after a meal.

 GADGETS Keep equipment to a minimum It's a good idea to avoid complicated apparatus and overreliance on weights, pulleys, and other devices.

BASIC PRINCIPLES Whatever program of activity you propose to engage in, check with your physician to be certain it is suitable for you. And your physician may.

Have valuable suggestions for activities particularly suited to you. Start slowly. Rush in without preparation and lift 200 pounds over your head-or even try to--and it may be your last act on earth. Take on a routine of mild setting-up exercises and you may feel a bit better, but this is far short of what you can get out of well-planned activity. What is needed is a program that follows certain key principles. Tolerance is one. There should be no sudden demand on your body or burst of tremendous effort.

Excessive straining beyond the level your body is ready for accomplishes nothing and may produce injury. Overload is another. Easy workouts continued endlessly day after day value but it is limited value. You have to push yourself just easily, then gradually begin to work a little harder, working 8 I Building General Health as Preventive Therapy just slightly beyond the first feeling of tiredness, but still within your limits of tolerance. 

Your body has more capacity than it is called upon to use. Give it a bit more load than usual and it can handle it. Progressively, it will become able to handle more. Progression is another important principle. As you maintain' a regular schedule of exercise and your strength and endurance grow, your activities will become easier for you. Continue them at the same level and you will maintain the improvement. To go beyond, you can make the work- outs progressively more strenuous, if your physician indicates this is desirable, until you arrive at a level of fitness you want to achieve.