PHYSICAL FITNESS(aveholidayhome.com)

May is Physical Fitness and Sports Month, a perfect time to keep that promise to start a regular exercise program. Yet, it seems many Americans never quite take that first step. A progress report on Healthy People 2000 goals released in mid-April claims that about 24 percent of Americans never exercise. Illinoisans are even less likely to get exercise. Approximately half (44.4%) of the state's citizens lead sedentary lifestyles, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health's 1995 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Study. (Sedentary, as defined by BRFSS, means that these individuals engage in no physical activity.)  

What are the benefits of a regular exercise program?

Breaking out of a sedentary lifestyle and making exercise a regular part of your life can have impressive benefits. It can increase the amount of blood your heart can pump, lower your heart rate when you are at rest, improve your cholesterol level, lower your blood pressure and reduce body fat. Regular exercise also can help you mentally by making it easier to manage stress, leaving you more energetic, making daily chores easier to accomplish, helping you sleep better and improving your self-image. The best part about these benefits is that they are accessible, to some degree, to almost any individual who builds exercise into his or her daily routine.

Regular exercise does not have to entail expensive fitness club dues or high-priced equipment to fill your spare bedroom. It can be as simple as walking. One expense you should afford yourself, however, is the correct shoe for your activity. Walking shoes should not be used for running; running shoes should not be used to play basketball or tennis.

How do I get started?

Before starting an exercise program, you should heed some basic principles:

Be sure to check with your physician. Most people who wish to start a gradual, sensible exercise program do not need to see a doctor before they start. However, if you have a health problem like high blood pressure, if you have pains or pressure in the chest or shoulder area, if you tend to feel dizzy or faint, if you get very breathless after a mild workout, or if you are middle-aged or older and have not been active, check with your doctor first.

Choose an activity that you enjoy. If you do not like what you are doing, you probably will not stick with your program. And remember, light activities, if done daily, can help you become more fit. Physical activity can be fit into your daily routine in small but important ways: take a walk at lunch or after dinner, use the stairs instead of the elevator, get off the bus one or two stops early and walk the rest of the way to your destination, park farther away from the store or office, ride a bike, work in the yard or garden, or go dancing.

Build variety into your program. A program that includes several fitness activities--for example, weight training on Tuesdays and Thursdays, running on Mondays and Wednesdays, and swimming on Fridays and Sundays--will help maintain your interest and will help you exercise different muscle groups.

Train with regularity. Fitness is cumulative. Increased strength and flexibility result from regular physical activity. Sporadic exercise, especially if intense, can result in injury.

Soreness from an intense workout should not last more than 24 hours. If it does, you should re-examine how you are performing the activity and the intensity of your workout. Listen to your body; it will tell you if you are overdoing it.

More is not necessarily better. Your body needs time to rest between workouts. Try to alternate between hard and easy workouts.

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