Choosing an Exercise Plan That Works Best With Your Lifestyle

We all know exercise is good for us, but sometimes, just the idea of going to a gym is enough to make us burrow deeper into the couch cushions. If you’re used to a sedentary lifestyle, if you’re overweight or if you’ve never had luck sticking to an exercise program in the past, it’s easy to feel discouraged before you even get started. But that initial reluctance probably has a lot more to do with the kind of exercises you’ve been doing rather than the idea of physical activity as a whole.

Just as we can benefit from a custom diet plan that works with our lifestyle and our nutritional needs in order to be successful at losing weight, we also need an exercise program that’s designed for our needs. When the exercises and activities we do are targeted specifically toward the goals we’re looking to achieve, we can start to recognize results faster and celebrate small victories more often so we’re more motivated to stay on track. At Nova Physician Wellness Center, our exercise plans are tailored to the needs of the individual patient, which means you can feel confident you’ll be successful right from the very beginning.

How our custom approach can help

Before you even embark on any new exercise plan, you need to make sure the exercises and activities you’re doing are a good “fit” for your goals. Yes, exercise is important for losing weight. But it can also help with medical issues like heart disease, diabetes and arthritis. Depending on your medical history, existing medical conditions, your current level of activity, your current weight and even your individual preferences, your exercise program is going to look a lot different from another person’s program. At Nova Physician Wellness, every exercise plan starts with a physical evaluation and a health history, sometimes followed by lab tests to make sure your program meets all your needs.

Once your evaluation is complete, we’ll work with you to develop a plan that’s focused on your goals. Your plan will be modified for you based on your physical needs and limitations, as well as your habits, preferences and lifestyle factors. Depending on your objectives, your exercise plan could be focused on improving your overall health, reducing symptoms of pain, improving your mobility or losing or maintaining weight. Often, it’s a combination of these goals.

Most exercise plans include three types of exercise: aerobic, resistance training (or weight training) and stretching.

• Aerobic exercise is important for maintaining good cardiovascular health. Not only does aerobic exercise burn off a lot of calories, but it also builds your heart muscle and improves your endurance so you won’t get “winded” by other activities. Aerobic exercise can include activities like walking, bicycling, swimming and even dancing. You can choose to do lots of these activities outdoors or you might opt to use a treadmill or elliptical at home or at a gym.
• Weight training helps you burn calories too, and it’s really good at helping you build both muscle and bone tissue. As we age, we tend to lose both of these types of tissue. Lifting weights can help reverse these effects in addition to helping us improve our overall strength.
• Stretching is really important to help warm up your muscles before aerobic activity or resistance training, and it also offers lots of benefits on its own. Stretching can improve circulation while also keeping us limber, and it can really help reduce joint and muscle pain and stiffness. Plus, some stretching activities like yoga can relieve stress as well.

Get started on your healthier lifestyle today

No matter what your exercise goals may be, one thing’s for sure: You’ll never reach those goals if you don’t take that first step. At Nova Physician Wellness Center, we want your journey to be successful, and our exercise plans can help. To learn more about the specific plans we offer or to schedule a consultation, book an appointment online today.