Do not have time to practice sports or lack physical fitness? You can substitute it for a walk and walk 30 minutes a day at a light pace. Exercising is essential for good health. However, many times the problem arises when choosing which sport to practice. Whether it is running, walking, swimming, the choice of one or the other includes different factors that must be taken into account.
The physical activity can help to regulate blood pressure, diabetes prevention and control, cardiovascular disease, joint problems, and mental health disorders.
But there is some confusion about how much exercise to do, with what intensity, how often and, above all, what sport to practice. To choose you must take into account a few variables, we will tell you about them in this article!
What sport to practice: the different types of exercise
Aerobic and anaerobic: what sport to practice?
First of all, we must be clear if what we want is to achieve a better figure or if it is a medical recommendation to treat a pathology. In the first case, assuming that you are in a position to practice any sport, you must know the distinction between aerobic and anaerobic exercises.
Aerobic exercises — such as running, walking, cycling, or swimming — are medium-long in duration and keep your heart pumping at a higher rate for a period of time. Therefore, they can help us strengthen the heart, thus improving cardiovascular function, and helping to regulate blood pressure and cholesterol levels, among other benefits.
Also, these exercises, combined with a balanced diet, can help us lose weight and increase muscle capacity.
As for anaerobic exercises, they consist of short and high intensity activities: short runs, lifting weights, doing sit-ups…
With this type of exercise, what is usually sought is the development of musculature, but it is also an excellent option to eliminate muscle fat and, above all, improve cardio-respiratory fitness.
In the event that the intention to exercise is related to a health problem, surely the doctor will have advised you on what type of activities to perform according to your pathology.
Go for a run, effective but at risk
Running is an excellent sport. It is easy to practice and very effective, but it is what is called a “high impact sport”. That is, it can cause injuries such as sprains, tears, fractures.
The person who is not adequately prepared can suffer an accident of this type. So it would be better if you started a medical test before starting to run. If everything is correct, start small to test your endurance.
The walks, a moment of solitude or to take advantage of in company
On the other hand, taking walks is an option that many consider when doing the exercise. In this case, we are talking about aerobic exercise, it is not a high impact sport, and practically anyone can do it. However, some people may find it boring.
If this activity is done alone, it may not be very motivating. Why not take the opportunity to make this a meeting time with a friend?
If instead you prefer to go alone, take advantage to listen to music, to think about your things and, ultimately, to make that a moment for you.
Swimming, the perfect exercise
The swimming is a sport that is not considered high impact. In addition, it allows playful activities that stimulate those who practice them.
It is one of the most complete sports and that doctors recommend the most because it not only benefits the cardio-respiratory system, but also helps with different problems derived from sedentary lifestyle and adopting bad positions, such as pain in the back and neck.
In short, a sedentary life is almost a synonym for complex diseases in the medium or long term. But jumping into a sport for which you are not fit or who do not like, will cause us to end up frustrated. Therefore, we recommend that you evaluate some aspects and try until you find the perfect sport for you. You dare?
