There is plenty of evidence of the positive effects of exercise. Recent studies have shown that exercise can improve both psychological and physiological aspects of health. Long-term studies have also reported that exercise can help with depression, obesity, heart disease and diabetes. However, there are lots of fallacies around exercise. Most people tend to get caught up with the ever-changing trends. Unable to cope with the trends, people often give up on exercise. 

Before we start with the “what and how” of exercise, we need to look at the evolutionary changes in humans — the “why”. Our ancestors (hunters and gatherers) did not need to participate in a formalised exercise programme as they had to move in order to survive. They had to sprint, walk, crawl, climb (movements seen in most gyms nowadays) on a daily basis. However, because of modern innovation, we are not required to hunt or gather any more and, therefore, the need for exercise has become even more important. Exercise can be in any form — yoga, playing a sport, cycling, dance or lifting weights. One form of exercise is not superior to the other for long-term health. In fact, it is important to participate in different forms of exercise. 

RULES FOR LONG-TERM SUCCESS

• Acknowledge the physiological adaptation. In order to let our bodies adapt to any form of exercise, we need to gradually increase stress (intensity and volume) levels. Most people fail because they either add too much stress too early or do not add enough. The “no pain no gain” attitude will bring more problems than good even if it sounds heroic.

• Exercise is a means to an end, not an end in itself. It is a journey to better health. However, people seem to get obsessed with exercise and end up either giving up or getting hurt. 

• Quality before quantity. Quality of movement is key to both long-term health and performance. When we perform any movement well, we end up protecting our joints and also optimising our performance, be it running or learning martial arts. 

THINGS TO ENHANCE

Research has shown that a well-rounded exercise plan that includes strength, power, flexibility, endurance, coordination, and balance is important for overall health. As we grow older, we tend to lose all these bio-motor qualities. Therefore, instead of obsessing over one quality, we should make sure we get exposed to all of them. Let us look at some strategies:

• Do joint mobility exercises daily: Slow circular movements for neck, shoulders, wrists, hips and ankles can be done either standing, sitting or in a quadruped position. However, joints such as knees, lower back and elbows should not be forced into rotation. This is called the flossing of joints. Slow movements help in circulating blood supply to the joints and increasing range of motion. 

• Perform endurance exercises: Do this in the form of any sport, running/walking, cycling, rowing or swimming minimum twice per week. Gradually build the volume and intensity. To get the best benefit, you can perform steady pace work on one day and intervals (efforts at various intensities: high/low) on another. Remember most sports involve intervals (start and stop).

• Add strength/ resistance training to your routine: Start with basic bodyweight exercises if you are a beginner. Seek a qualified coach to provide you with feedback. Gravity can teach us more things than we can imagine. People get obsessed with lifting heavy weights sometimes at the cost of the quality of the movement. Research has shown that one does not need to lift very heavy to benefit from resistance training. 

Resistance training can minimise muscle loss, make our joints stronger, and help us reduce the loss of power as we age.

• Add stretching for the muscles: Regular stretches performed on major muscles such as hips flexors (front thigh), calf (lower rear leg), upper and mid back, rear shoulders, and chest can be useful after any form of exercise. However, it is important to not compromise posture when stretching. For instance, many people who cannot touch their toes tend to round their back — this can put excessive stress on the lower back.

• Add coordination and balance: Coordination and balance can help with our brain functioning. Exercises that include decision making and balancing skills as seen in most sports can be very useful for motor development.

• Have fun: The secret to sustaining an active lifestyle is having fun. Human beings love to play. Therefore, make sure you add some variety to your training. Play a new sport with friends, do a fun obstacle course with your kids. 
Exercise is the best medicine, but how we go about our regimen determines long-term health gain. Please do not perform the exercises mentioned in the article if you are not sure; seek professional help. 

Kaushik Talukdar is founder & CEO of Athlete Institute (www.athlete.institute). He tweets @Coachkaushik