Q&A for How to Exercise

Balancing cardio and strength training will help you have a well-rounded exercise routine. One really good way to set up a routine is to have 3 days that you allot just for strength training, where you try to go to reps and you focus on getting physically stronger. Then, on the other 3 days, you would do something that gets your heart rate up, like going for a jog, a hike, or a bike ride. Even just doing that for 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week, you'll see results on both sides of the spectrum.

Exercise can reduce chronic stress and anxiety, but it will also help your body keep functioning well.

It's different for everybody with fibromyalgia, but one important thing is to not push too much. Do short bursts at a time. So rather than exercising for a full hour, maybe do 10 minutes 6 different times during the day. Monitor yourself very closely, like what bothers you and what doesn't, and have a good cool down and warm up time. If you haven't done something in a while, be very cautious about getting into it. Having a physical therapist guide you is quite important.

Look for types of exercises that you find fun. You could walk, hike, dance, lift weights, or do any other type of physical activity that you find enjoyable.

Yes of course. Exercise at the time that works best for you. Some people have better sleep after working out. Only if you have trouble sleeping after exercising should you consider exercising earlier.

One of the safest, easiest options is to start with walking every day, and build from there.

Make exercise a game, have a friend join you or listen to music while exercising to make it more fun.

Any exercise at all that causes a sustained, elevated heart rate will burn fat from all over. You cannot target belly fat (or fat from anywhere) specifically.

Everyone should get 60 minutes of physical activity each day. How intense that activity will be varies depending on a person's fitness level, age and health. If someone were to do the hard routine three times a week, one hour of moderate activity per day on the other days of the week would maintain a fairly high fitness level.

It takes the gastrointestinal tract about 3 to 4 hours to completely digest a full meal. Note too that the digestion phase varies between what you are eating -- for example if you ate a banana, you can exercise after 30 minutes or 1 hour after eating it but if you ate a steak, it would take you about 3 hours before it would be good to begin exercise. That said, most people find that eating trail mix mid-hike doesn't prevent them from continuing to walk, as human beings were built to eat and move.

This is so that every muscle in your body can be targeted. Also, it provides variation so that you don't get bored and give up. If you don't like exercise, revert to what your ancestors did instead and walk everywhere, move constantly and do plenty of physical work at least once a day, such as chopping wood, gardening, carry loads or cleaning your house vigorously.

Yes it's perfectly fine. In fact, changing up your workouts will actually help keep you motivated and will prevent the routine from getting boring.

When you exercise for a minimum of 10 minutes, your heart rate will increase, therefore your blood flow will increase, making you feel warmer. This is both normal and desirable.

It depends what kind of results you are seeking. If you are looking to burn fat, then take carbs out of your diet and eat lots of protein rich food. If you are looking to bulk up, then carbs and proteins are your best friends.

Walking and jogging are very helpful for removing stomach fat. Also, any core exercises ranging from sit-ups to planks and any other core exercises are good. Check your diet and eat cleanly. Make sure your diet is not mainly high in sugar and fat. Your diet is the biggest impact on your stomach fat.

It depends on what type of body you have, how fast your metabolism is, how often you exercise, etc. Most people start seeing results in about 1 month, however.

It depends on what your goals are. If you want to relax and calm your body, then yoga is great. But if you want to lose weight, gain weight, get stronger or be more active, the gym is a better idea. In general, you don't have to sign up for a gym to get great workouts and train well, though. You can exercise without equipment.

Exercise -- along with a healthy diet -- is actually recommended to help lower and balance out your blood sugar. Talk to your doctor about specific workouts you may do.

Probably not, but don't do this 7 days a week, keep it at 4-5 days max so you can have a few rest days. Your body needs the rest to regenerate and build muscle. Take extra time off if you find yourself getting really sore.

Exercise benefits everyone, but you might want to talk to your doctor or a physical therapist for specific tips. They can recommend an exercise routine that meets your needs.

Lots of exercise will help. Join a gym or a sports club. Regardless, your diet is important. Eating poorly results in loss of energy, inhibits muscle growth and metabolism, etc. Moderation is key.

For most, about one month to start noticing some results. It also depends on how often you exercise and what your body type is, however.

No. Only if you do exercises that rub against a rough surface, such as pavement or concrete. Just running or biking will not pull out any hairs.

If you are 12 years old, going to a gym might be a bit much for that age. Try out at-home exercises and workouts, such as planks, push-ups and squats. These are easy to do anywhere, and you can take a small break out of every day to do them.

Unless you are very young or very old, the exercises you do will depend on your goals and physical abilities, not your age.

After. If you eat before working out, you may feel sluggish and out of it because your body is too busy digesting food to give proper blood flow to the muscles you're working.

Exercising burns calories. Burning more calories than you eat is how you lose weight. So you can lose weight by eating less, by exercising more, or for best results, a combination of the two.

Any kind of exercise you enjoy will increase your energy. Yoga or pilates are great options, but jogging, biking, zumba, or swimming are all great options, too.

There are very few cardio exercises you can do in a small space. You could do jumping jacks, but you'd have to do an awful lot of them. If possible, go outside and go for a run, this is much easier and more beneficial.