Key for Your New Year’s Health “FITT”

Exercise following FITT!-- The “F” means frequency. Per week, you should work out about three to five days. Accordingly, if you hike on Sunday, you should do similar exercises such as playing tennis, jogging, and just walking regularly during the week.

The “I” means intensity. It is ok if you do 60 percent of your maximized ability, which can be commensurate with barely talking with your friends or whistling during exercise. If you work below this level, your exercise is useless. If you do above this level, your exercise can be harmful to your knees and heart. The “T” means time. Working out from 20 to 60 minutes is desirable, which subtracts five minutes for warming-up and another five minutes for finishing exercise.

Professor Jin said, “Even though, in the past, we encourage people to work out for 30 minutes without stopping, recently, such view has been changed and thus, it is no problem to divide time into 5~10 minute intervals in favor of your conveniences.”

The last “T” means type. You should pick events suitable for your body, which is often the same with your favorite events. However, even though you like swimming, you have to find others, if you are suffering from tympanum. If you have some problems with your waist, it is better to find events which can strengthen the waist.

Exercise in the early 30s-- It is the best time for exercise until the early 30s. After experiencing various exercises, you should choose one which goes well with your style. In this moment, people have a tendency to look for events which require strong intensity. Rather than jogging and walking, they favor events such as skating, inline skating, tennis, and so forth, which ensure them to experience a combination of aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise.

If you decide to go to gyms near your home or work places, I would recommend three times of jogging, bicycling, or swimming per week for 30~50 minutes. Strengthening your muscles by weight trainings will be desirable if you do from 15 to 20 minutes per day, twice a week. Besides, stretching to improve your flexibility is good for you if you do it three days per week, 10 minutes each.

Exercise from the middle 30s to the 40s-- This age group has a high possibility of suffering from heart-related diseases and diabetes, which especially targets adults. Accordingly, you should control your weight by managing your food intake and working out regularly. Playing sports during this age has a two or three times more likelihood of injury, compared to the early 30s. You would better off to avoid these activities.

It is good for you to walk 30~60 minutes per day, three or five times a week. And, aerobic exercise—quick walking, jogging, bicycling, playing badmintons, and so forth—is also good for you. If you feel any heart pains, regular pains, headache, or dizziness, during exercise, you should go see a doctor to see if you have any physical problems that prevent you from exercising.

Professor Park Won-ha of the Department of Sports Medicine at Samsung Seoul Hospital said, “Women, whose density of bone is reduced, should focus on exercise for strengthening their muscular to prevent any diseases related to weakness of bones.” Professor Park added, “Except for such anaerobic exercise, women should do other types which can use their weight for strengthening their muscular build such as raising dumbbells standing-up, sitting-down, and so forth.”

Jin-Han Lee likeday@donga.com