Yonemoto Physical Therapy

As we enjoy the warmer temperatures of spring and summer accompanied by longer daylight hours, many of us are tempted to get more physically active and feel the pressure to shed those extra pounds, i.e. lose the weight gained over the winter months.  The best form of exercise depends on your goals, the condition you are in, and what you are willing to do.

For most of the people looking to improve their physical fitness, a basic aerobic conditioning program along with a basic flexibility and conditioning program is the best choice.  Aerobic means exercise that conditions the heart and lungs by increasing the efficiency of oxygen intake by the body.  Brisk walking is the best form of overall body conditioning.  Walking can be done almost anywhere without equipment and doesn’t require special training.

You should start off easily, doing about 10-15 minutes of walking at a comfortable pace. Comfortable pace means you should be able to talk to someone without gasping for air while walking.

Since aerobic exercise means using oxygen, talking easily while walking indicates your body is using oxygen and is in an aerobic exercise mode using mostly fat stores of energy.  When you start gasping for air, your body switches to a different exercise mode using stored energy in the muscles, not fat.  So, aerobic exercise will have an added benefit for those who wish to trim body fat as well.  With the anaerobic exercise, meaning without oxygen, there is also greater risk of building up waste products in the form of lactic acid in the muscle, which can be painful.

As long as you do a repetitive activity involving a greater demand on your heart and lungs for a sustained period of time, usually about 20 minutes, you are doing aerobic exercise.  Swimming, bicycling, skating, stair climbing, rowing, and hiking are other common forms.  Increased heart rate, breathing and sweat response usually accompany aerobic exercise.

If you have no soreness or difficulty after starting at a comfortable pace, you can increase the time by 5 minutes each session, rechecking for soreness after each period of walking.   You can progress gradually by increasing your time to 45-60 minutes, 2-3 times per week to daily.

You will be trimmer, your heart and lungs will be stronger, and there will be greater blood flow to your entire body.

If you have any questions, please submit them to:
Sheila Yonemoto, P.T.
Yonemoto Physical Therapy
55 S. Raymond Ave., Suite 100
Alhambra, CA 91801
PHONE:  626 576 0591
FAX: 626 576 5890

Links:
http://www.yonemoto.com/ - Yonemoto Physical Therapy home page
http://www.yonemoto.com/programs/IMT.htm - Integrative Manual Therapy, a Hands-On Approach
http://www.yonemoto.com/programs/qigong.htm - Qigong to boost the immune system

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