Regular exercise is necessary to maintain your health.
Principles to remember are FITT: Frequency, Intensity, Timing and Type
Frequency
Recommended to do 3-5 times a week.
Intensity
- About 70-80% of maximum heart rate (MHR)
- MHR is calculated roughly by 220-(your age)
- If you have not exercise for a long time, start with an aim for 40-50% of MHR an slowly build up over time
- If you have chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes etc it would be good for you to speak to your doctor prior commencing the exercise
Timing
Each exercise period should be about 30-45 minutes. This is broken down to:
10 minutes of warming up and stretching
20-30 minutes of exercise proper
10 minutes of cooling down
Type
-
For warming up it should involve stretching and callisthenic exercise such as sit ups
- Exercise proper should be aerobic type exercise such as brisk walking, jogging etc
-
Cooling down should be mainly stretching and deep breathing exercises
In view of the current flu epidemic, you should:
- Avoid exercising in crowded and enclosed areas such as gym
- Avoid exercising if you experience any flu symptoms or fever
- Ensure adequate fluid intake
- Know your body; if you are tired that day, do not push your body to do strenuous exercise (such as jogging) as you will depress your body immunity rather than strengthening it. You may want to do some walking instead
- Avoid exercising in the heat of the day
- At the peak of the epidemic, you may wish to avoid swimming as there is a higher risk of
contracting the flu virus through contaminated water