Exercise

The main focus with TCM is on preventing rather than treating diseases. This means starting with a healthy lifestyle, which includes eating healthy, getting enough rest, moderate exercise and keeping stress and anxiety to a minimum. This sounds easy enough, but how many of us, myself included, actually put these into practice?

I recently read an article by a famous sports specialist in China about “Proper Exercise”. So let’s start there. Proper exercise means exercising around the same time, for the same amount and at the same level of strength. By doing this, the body creates a “memory”, which makes exercising more effective.

You need to exercise at least 4 times a week, for a minimum of 30 minutes each time and for a total of about 4 to 6 hours every week. Exercising whenever you feel like it or whenever you can fit it in to your day creates an irregular exercise schedule, which is not as effective as a consistent schedule. According to the study, the best time to exercise is between 3pm to 9pm. If we exercise every day at around the same time, our body remembers the pattern, which improves the results of exercising.

Exercising for the “same amount at the same level of strength” does not mean walking for 20 minutes today and 60 minutes tomorrow. Nor does it mean going 1 km today and 3 km the next day. A correct example of putting proper exercise into practice would be jogging for 1 km in 15 minutes, and doing this every time at the same pace.

A proper exercise plan should be based upon the individual, taking into consideration their health, time and environment. A good plan is simple, practical, effective and easy to follow. Following this will improve strength, endurance, flexibility, coordination, sensitivity, etc. For example, ball sports improve sensitivity and coordination. Climbing is good for power and endurance. Yoga and dance are good for flexibility and coordination.

When we say we need to exercise at least 30 minutes everyday, this does not mean exercising for a longer period of time is better. Two to three hours of exercise will overwork the body and could cause injury, not acute or immediate injury, but definitely chronic injury. Over time, this high level of exercise will cause stress on internal organs, consume a surplus of energy and produce a lot of excess waste. It’s not healthy if waste takes more that 1 or 2 days to be eliminated.

The ideal proper exercise regime means exercising everyday for 30 to 90 minutes: spending 30 to 50 minutes cardio exercises (like jogging and swimming) and the remainder of the time focusing on strength and flexibility. Every week, take a day or 2 off to rest or do some mild exercises.

When you decide to start your proper exercise plan, remember to begin slowly and gradually increase in intensity.