You are now able to begin your workout. Start with a warm-up. This might be as simple as walking in place or moving your arms up and down. This simple activity prepares your body for exercise by increasing blood flow to the working muscles and connective tissue. The duration of the warm-up will depend on the intensity of your workout as well as your own fitness level.

After the aerobic warm-up activity, incorporate flexibility or stretching exercises. Stretching muscles after warming them up with low-intensity aerobic activity will produce a better stretch since the rise in muscle temperature and circulation increases muscle elasticity, making them more pliable.

Stretching increases flexibility and may prevent muscle strain. Never bounce or force a stretch. Hold for about 15 to 20 seconds — to mild discomfort, not pain, to enhance flexibility. Stretching should be relaxing, not painful. Stretching, yoga, tai chi, qui gong, and Pilates exercises can improve balance and flexibility.

One aim of exercise is to increase your body’s capacity to breathe oxygen in, and to increase the capability of your heart and circulatory system to supply blood and oxygen to all organs and tissues. Monitor your heart rate by checking your pulse or by using a heart rate monitor. This is a good way to tell if you are staying at appropriate exercise intensity levels. To determine your target heart rate, simply subtract your age from 220. For example, if you are forty, your age-predicted maximum heart rate is 180.

Some researchers suggest that when cancer patients exercise above 65 percent of their maximum heart rate, fatigue levels may increase. After treatment, above 65 percent is encouraged (60-80 percent). Exercising above 80 percent of your maximum heart rate is not recommended for three to six months following treatment.

Resistance training, especially lifting weights, improves muscle strength. It is important to complement cardiovascular training with stretching and resistance training. Strength training uses either the body’s own weight or the resistance provided by weights or bands, to apply stress to the bones by way of the muscles. Muscle strengthening increases your muscle mass, which boosts your body’s resting metabolic rate and helps you burn calories more efficiently and keep your blood sugar in check. Weight training can increase strength, muscle, and bone mass more rapidly than walking can.

Before initiating a weight program, become familiar with the equipment. Attend a training session or get help from an instructor or weight trainer. Warm-up your arms and legs before you lift weights. Only you can determine how much weight you can lift. Start with two or three sets of eight slow repetitions, and gradually add more repetitions as your strength increases. Do not advance beyond four sets and/or 20 repetitions. Rest between sets, and try to breathe naturally during the exercise. Lift and lower slowly and smoothly. Exhale as you lift, inhale as you lower the weight. Stop if you feel any pain. Sore joints mean you have overdone it. Stretch after your workout to increase flexibility.

Water or pool exercises may restore mobility, build strength, and increase endurance. The buoyancy of water reduces the stress on weight bearing joints, bones, and muscles. For this reason, it is unlikely that a water workout will result in an injury or leave you with sore muscles. Water exercise can encompass all of the components of fitness: cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance, and flexibility. Many classes are suitable for non-swimmers and are offered at indoor and outdoor sites.

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