1. Talk to your doctor or health care provider.
While human anatomy is considerably standard, your physical health requirements are unique. It's important to know and understand what your body needs, and a visit or a series of visits to your doctor or health care provider can provide that information. However, you need to open and maintain a communicative relationship with your health care provider. Ask questions, and get answers. Your provider might not always know the answers but should be able to seek them out or guide you in the right direction. Together you can determine the best health and fitness practices for you.
2. Breathe!
A previous article discussed the overall benefits of proper breathing. Included here is a summary of the benefits to your physical health.
Inhaling allows oxygen to enter your body, feed your cells, and purify your blood and organs from toxins. Exhaling allows your body to eliminate those toxins.
Breathe deeply from your abdomen to get the most out of the air around you. For a few deep breathing techniques, please refer to the previous article.
3. Move!
Aerobic and anaerobic activity are both needed to achieve and maintain physical fitness.
Aerobic activity includes exercises that stimulate your cardiorespiratory system (mainly your heart and lungs, but other organs as well). These activities include walking, jogging, swimming, and of course, aerobics.
Anaerobic activity includes exercises that stimulate your skeletomuscular system (mainly your bones, cartilage, and muscles, which support your organs). These activities include weight-lifting and calisthenics, such as sit-ups or crunches.
With the proliferation of desk jobs, many bodies need more aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Sports, games, and home or external gyms offer the opportunity to get this type of activity. Simply walking around the block, running around the yard, or climbing steps will help. Just remember, before you start a formal exercise program, do step 1 above--talk to your doctor to find out what types of activities are best for your body.
4. Eat and drink well.
Eating well can mean different things to different people. Some people require special diets due to food allergies or illnesses. Your age, gender, size, activity level, medical history, and medication usage, in addition to other such factors, all influence what type of diet is right for you. Again, it's important to talk to your health care provider about what your body needs.
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