As the 2012 London Olympics have drawn to a close, we watched in awe of the dedication and determination of these athletes and maybe became a little envious of their amazing strength and physical condition.
We may never make it to the Olympics, yet we can easily incorporate some of these healthy strategies into our daily schedules.
Cycling
Cycling provides a great lower body work out which provides strength and muscle tone. Cycling build stamina and improves cardiovascular health. Cycling is a great way to get around and is easier on our joints than running.
Swimming
Swimming provides a full body workout that is a calorie burner. Propelling through the water is a great resistance exercise that helps improve flexibility and is also easy on your joints.
Beach Volleyball
As we watched the USA Beach Volleyball team compete, we couldn’t help but notice what great physical condition they all were in. Volleyball is a fun workout that provides an excellent strength training exercise.
Most importantly, set goals. This will help you stick with the program and see success. Do you want to slim down? A routine of cardiovascular endurance exercise and focusing on nutrition will help you meet your goals. If you want to increase your cardiovascular endurance, try swimming, cycling, and running. If you are limited on the time you have available to work out, try circuit training, which consists of a series of resistance training exercises performed on right after the other, with limited rest.
Even now that the Olympics are over, don’t prop up your feet up on the ottoman for reality TV! Get moving to maximize the inspiration so many of us gained over the past two weeks and go for the gold in exercise training!
Written by: Beth Stefura, Extension Educator, The Ohio State University Extension
Source: Academy of Sports Medicine
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