Sometimes the word ‘exercise’ can make you feel tired just thinking
about it! But exercise doesn’t have to be a chore. Often, if you avoid
exercise the more difficult it seems. It can seem even harder if you’re
overweight.
But the more unfit you are, the more weight you put on, and the less you want to exercise… it becomes a vicious circle!
When you are active you burn more energy. Your body then
starts to use up its fat stores. It also starts to build muscle tissue,
and this increases your metabolism. (Your metabolism is the speed at
which your body burns calories.)
This improves your fitness and helps to keep your weight steady.
So where do I start?
When you’re unfit, suddenly doing a lot of exercise can
leave you feeling stiff and sore. This is why you have to be careful
when you first start out.
The best way is to start slowly. Do a little bit more
each time so that your body gets used to it. It’s also a good idea to do
some stretches first. Stretching stops you putting a strain on your
muscles.
This way, you won’t feel uncomfortable while you’re
exercising. And hopefully you won’t feel sore afterwards! If you do feel
like it’s a struggle the first few times, don’t be put off. It’s true
that each time you exercise it’s likely to be easier and you’ll enjoy it
more.
Some people get scared when they think about exercise.
They feel like they’re being asked to climb a mountain! It doesn’t have
to be like this though. Lots of things are counted as exercise.
Exercise includes anything that gets you a little bit out of breath. So
things like:
- Walking, the simplest and cheapest form of exercise! Try walking to school instead of going in the car;
- Joining in with sports and games in breaks at school;
- Taking the stairs instead of the lazy lift!
- Getting off the bus a few stops early and walking the extra distance.
