Exercise is important for so many reasons. Not only does it do the obvious which is keep the heart strong and strengthen one’s muscles and endurance, it also clears the mind. It makes one’s resting state more vigorous with the heart beating more effectively even if the beats are fewer in number per second. It also results in less breathlessness when elevating the beats per minute mildly for example when running to catch an elevator. Some people who have been living a sedentary lifestyle and putting on weight for a long time can feel like they are going to die after doing something as feeble as running for the elevator. But exercises number many which gives people the opportunity to select the ones that suit them or are more convenient than others.
Surfing is a popular exercise in coastal areas. Continuing the previous thought about convenience, it is obviously inconvenient for a person living in a landlocked location to consider surfing as anything other than a hobby. Say hobby because lack of consistent access to water will make it something that one does only every once in awhile. For example some people go on surfing trips in California, Costa Rica, Japan, Australia and other places. But to rely on surfing for exercise would necessitate living at most an hour from the beach and what’s more the temperature year round should be conducive to surfing. Those that live in the colder areas of the United States wear wet suits to protect them from cold water but it is entirely impossible to run in the heart of the winter. At some point the surfer would make contact with literally freezing water and no wet suit can protect against that and certainly a wet suit would offer no protection for the parts of the body that are plainly exposed like the face and other extremities.
Jogging and swimming are two very popular exercises. Jogging is a quite easy choice since there is no special equipment (except adequate footwear) needed and some space to run. Of course anyone who is jogging for the first time should not attempt to run at olympic speeds in the beginning - there should be a very slow build up to faster speeds. The most important thing is to jog for at least 40 minutes and it is clear that if you burn yourself out you will quit within 5 minutes and you will be reluctant to return to it.
Jogging has some disadvantages. For one there is pressure on the knees. The ongoing impact causes some to have knee injuries or muscles like the plantar fasciitis in the foot end up being overstressed causing swelling and immobility for at least 2 weeks while it is healing. Jogging as a year round sport is also difficult in cold climates although there is specialty gear made to shield runners from the cold.
Hot weather is another danger for runners. There is a big danger of overheating in stifling humidity so it is advisable for runners to be properly hydrated. Heat stroke and hyperventilation are real dangers when it comes to jogging mid day.
Swimming is a great form of exercise. There is nothing weather related that restricts one’s ability to swim with the expectation that the swimming facility is indoors. If we’re talking about river swimming or beach swimming of course there are all of the dangers that are associated with cold weather. Clearly a person cannot safely swim in the middle of the winter otherwise they would die from hypothermia. The good thing about swimming indoors is there are regulated water temperatures and the environment is controlled. There is a certain reliability to going to an establishment that has regular hours and reliable quality control.
There are of course disadvantages to swimming. For one, it requires close proximity to a pool. If an indoor pool is too far away it would create a disincentive which would cause the exerciser to make excuses instead of sticking to a consistent exercise routine.
Interestingly enough, after many years of running, a lot of runners - once they reach a certain age - decide to go for lower impact sports like swimming. The low impact nature of swimming makes a big win for all ages and in particular older people who try to keep fit.
What is the best one for you? The best one for you depends on many things. It depends on your joints and the availability of safe places to run, or proximity of indoor swimming or an ocean or river nearby.
What you have to look forward to from regular exercise. The health benefits are numerous. Exercise is fantastic for controlling your weight and blood pressure. It also gives you greater stamina so that you can engage in vigorous activity for longer periods of time before tiring. Another benefit is it helps to have deeper sounder sleep.
