Some types of exercise are considered more glamorous than others. Some people get fixated on one particular goal, like having the biggest muscles possible, and maybe neglect other areas of physical health. Sometimes it’s just hard to find the best advice on how to get started. All this means you might not realize that if you want the most effective exercise routine, you need to work every body part in multiple ways.
There are several aspects to this. One is ensuring you give every muscle the chance to engage. It’s all very well aiming for big biceps, but you can’t forget the importance of your core. If you strengthen your abdomen, your limbs will benefit, too. Then there’s your back, shoulders, hips – they all have a part to play, and they all need your attention. You want them to be strong, move as they should, stand up to strain, and last until you’re old.
That means you also need to think about the type of exercise you do. There are routines that focus on strength and building muscle, while others aim to improve flexibility and mobility. Some are better at improving your endurance than others. These all feed into each other; you can’t perform stretches to improve your flexibility without strength, and you can’t lift weights without some mobility.
You don’t have to go at full intensity all the time, but you do need to push yourself. At least some of your exercise should be enough to make you get out of breath. A bit of an ache in your muscle can be a good sign. You can intersperse these harder sessions with lighter performances, such as jogging, swimming or cycling. Again, consistency is important, but so is variety.
Particular care needs to be taken if you’re recovering from an injury. Physical therapy is often an important part of the healing process, and you won’t get better if you don’t start working the damaged body part again, but pushing too hard or using inappropriate exercises could make things worse.
While there may be situations when you need to focus on a particular style of exercise or have a specific goal in mind, your overall health is going to be best if you aim for an all-around exercise experience. That gives your body the best opportunity to reach its full potential in every way.
