Friday Fit Tip: the basic rules for healthy exercise

May 15, 7:45 AMSan Jose Fitness ExaminerAmy Rabinovitz

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Photo: Thomas Rice, O'Connor Hospital Outpatient
Rehabilitation & Sports Therapy

Do you really have to go for a boot-camp-style workout to benefit from exercise? Nope.  Everyone, at every fitness level,  can benefit from healthy exercise.

As part of "Exercise is Medicine Month," sports therapist Thomas Rice of the   O’Connor Hospital Outpatient Rehabilitation and Sports Therapy Program offered to answer some of the most frequently asked questions I've received here at San Jose Fitness.  

He has also written a Friday fit tip: How to prevent sports injuries.

What are the basic rules for healthy exercise? For instance, does it always have to be done fast, or raise your heart rate, or increase your breathing?

The general rule for exercise is that you should do something active for approximately 20 minutes per day and it should be something that you find fun or interesting. Too many people get bored with exercise and quit.

With any activity your heart and breathing rates are going to increase, by how much depends on factors such as age, current health status and fitness levels. For some, it may be enough to just walk around the park or do some gardening. Others may need to be a little more aggressive and perform a more structured gym program or work with a personal trainer.

As always, one should consult their physician before beginning any exercise program so they understand what their personal health baseline is. 

Is there a difference between exercise for a specific purpose (ie. to help heal an injury) and general exercise for fitness?

Yes, there is a difference.

Coming from a physical therapy or athletic training point of view, exercise for a specific injury is primarily that. Initially, the focus is on the specific injury site and taking into account the surrounding areas that support the injured area.

For example, with a post operative knee surgery, the primary focus is on the specifics of the knee surgery and what was done, and then to the surrounding joints/structures such as the foot, ankle, hip and the core (abdominals). We work on strengthening the primary injury and the surrounding areas as well supporting the injured area, similar to building a strong foundation for a house.

General fitness is a more global concept, focusing on the body as a whole to maintain or improve the entire system.

Click here to read how to prevent sports injuries.

Exercise is Medicine (EIM)  is a program of The American College of Sports Medicine, (ACSM), the world’s largest sports medicine and exercise organization. EIM is an international public health program which calls for exercise to be a standard part of health care. EIM encourages the public and patients to speak with their doctors about an appropriate level of exercise, plan their exercise regimen, track it and stick to it.

 O’Connor Hospital is a 358-bed acute care, not-for-profit community hospital that has served Santa Clara County since 1889.It is a values-driven organization dedicated to providing excellent healthcare that is attentive and compassionate to the whole person: body, mind and spirit.

The hospital offers a number of community services: to find a physician, call the physician referral line at (408) 947-2797. For Sports Therapy and Sports Medicine, call (408) 947-2522. For current free and community classes, including a series of “Body Language” classes that are hands on and interactive visit the web site at www.oconnorhospital.org

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