Exercise is medicine, the same way food is medicine to the body, regular physical activity, such as walking, cycling, wheeling, doing sports or active recreation, provides significant benefits for health, stating that people who are insufficiently active have a 20 to 30 per cent increased risk of death compared to those who are sufficiently active. Exercise is not something done at the snap of a finger or when the mood calls for it. Several factors must be checked to determine the type of exercise to be done, the intensity, the time of the day and the minutes to be spent vis-a-vis, and the individual’s health status. It is advisable for a medical checkup to be done at the start of exercise to check for health issues that must be taken care of. You must also know what you are exercising for. Exercise is needed to control weight, prevent certain health conditions and diseases, improve mood, promote better sleep, put the spark back into one’s sexual life and many other benefits of exercise.

1. Walking
No matter your age and status, walk around your home for an hour every day or take about 10,000 steps in a day. If you can’t walk, you can ride a bicycle, if you can’t ride a bicycle, you can jog, move around, run on a spot, do some push-ups and jump up. Be cautious against sitting for long hours while at the workplace, try to take little walks around the office, and make use of the stairs after sitting for a long time to prevent the effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Little exercise such as standing for some time, lifting the hands, legs or stretching, can be very helpful to the body.

2. Swimming
The use of one’s entire body to move through the water is an apt physical activity that helps to build endurance, take off stress, tone muscles and build strength among others. What happens when you are swimming is that you hold your breath while under the water, this will help your heart and lungs. The use of your arms and legs while swimming also helps to strengthen them. It is also advisable that those unskilled in the art of swimming should avoid diving into the pool without training or presence of a trainer.

3. Reduce sitting time
There is a need to reduce the time spent in sedentary positions such as sitting and lying down. People who cannot engage in a daily moderate physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes in one attempt, can break it into five minutes daily and consistently build it into their life pattern and still achieve the same benefit.

4. Riding bicycle
Cycling reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases and increases cardiovascular fitness. Cycling improves the function of the lower body, strengthens the leg muscles, builds up muscular endurance, decreases stress levels, improves posture and coordination and limits body fat levels among others. There are two types of bicycle, the mobile ones seen on the streets and the stationary ones that remain in a spot while riding is being done.

5. Treadmill
The treadmill is an exercise equipment that helps you to walk, jog or run at varying speeds. This provides a straightforward and efficient derobic workout and it helps to keep fit, burn calories and lose weight. Treadmill walking is recommended for 30 minutes
daily.

6. Running
Running falls under vigorous intensity exercise. It helps to build strong bones, strengthen muscles, improve cardiovascular fitness and maintain a healthy weight.
Running is however not advisable to be done daily. This is because the exercise is vigorous and continuously engaging in it can lead to sore muscles, stress and prolonged fatigue.

7. Dancing
Dancing involves several movements such as jumping, hopping, shaking, shuffling and shimmying. However, this is an intense workout that burns out calories and can get the heart rate up. Dancing helps to boost mood and fitness levels. There are several dance moves and exercises that are appropriate for different ages and health statuses of people. This further reiterates the importance of knowing one’s health status. It is advisable to start with aerobics dancing such as ballet, jazz and Zumba among others because they are classified as low-impact workouts which are slow-paced compared to others.

8. Resistance training
Resistance training helps to develop muscle strength in different parts of the body. It also helps to improve focus and cognitive function, reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms and develop feelings of wellbeing. Squats, lunges, deadlifts, chin ups/pull ups, lat pulldown, bench presses and push ups are examples of resistance training. Before the start of the exercises, warm-ups with light aerobic exercises are important. Also, since the goal is to keep healthy, the rush to achieve a particular size should be non-existent.