Exercise.
Goal: Find an exercise you enjoy
Action: Exercise consistently
Purpose: Keep your Teams in shape.
What is the purpose of exercise?
Before embarking on any form of exercise, the first question you need to answer is; why are you doing it, what is the purpose?
Perhaps, you are training for a fun run, or for a specific sport, or to keep fit, whatever the reason you need to ensure the exercise is done on purpose.
For example, if you want to get stronger, you have to progressively increase the amount you lift and if you want to reduce your stress levels, do something you enjoy and leaves you feeling relaxed.
In terms of health, the famous Framingham Heart Study demonstrated that the greatest predictor of health and longevity was not actually heart health, but lung volume.
Those with higher lung capacity were healthier and lived longer than those with decreased lung capacity.
So, if your aim is to live longer, then endurance training probably isn’t the best tactic to adopt, because it doesn’t make the lungs stronger and can actually make them weaker.
Therefore, if I wanted to make my cardiovascular system more powerful (naturally) I wouldn’t subject it to hours and hours of low intensity training (e.g. jogging) which merely acts as a chronic stressor and can often cause more inflammation.
Instead, I would look to progressively increase the maximum exertion, in short sharp bursts, allowing plenty of time for my body to recover and then adapt.
This is why, in my opinion, High Intensity Interval Training and resistance exercising win hands down. It provides the necessary stimulus for growth and development, without over exerting the joints and stress hormones. So you recover quicker and spend more time in a promotion position.
Once again, access your team’s current fitness levels and state of play before embarking on any new exercise regime. It may be the case that simply walking for 10-15 minutes a day is the best strategy to use in the initial stages.
The important thing is to find something you can do on a regular and consistent basis which you enjoy, because if you don’t persist with the activity you will quite quickly lose your shape.
Here are some exercises you might like to consider:
Walking
Resistance Training
HIIT