Types of Exercise

Flexibility Training:
Any movement that increases your range of motion

What it does: It helps to keep you limber and to warm up your muscles.

How it helps: It may prevent injury during aerobic exercise and strength training.

Examples:

• Stretching
• Yoga
• Tai chi

Aerobic Exercise:
Any activity that increases the body's use of oxygen

What it does: It causes your heart rate and breathing rate to increase while you are exercising.

How it helps: It can lower blood sugar and helps your body use insulin better. It also helps maintain blood flow to the feet, helping to reduce the chance of foot problems.

Other benefits: It may lower blood pressure and may even improve cholesterol levels. It can help make your heart and bones stronger, reduce stress, and improve overall blood circulation, and it may even lower your risk for heart disease.

Examples:

• Brisk walking (outside or inside on a treadmill)
• Bicycling/stationary cycling indoors
• Dancing
• Swimming or water aerobics
• Playing tennis
• Jogging/running
• Hiking
• Gardening

Strength Training:
Any exercise that improves muscular strength

What it does: Resistance training helps you build strength, stamina, and muscle.

How it helps: It may lower blood sugar and may make your body more sensitive to insulin.

Other benefits: It helps you keep and build strong muscles and bones, to help reduce your risk for everything from osteoporosis to bone fractures. Plus, the more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn—even when your body is at rest.

Examples:

• Weight machines or free weights at the gym
• Using resistance bands (stretchy, giant rubber bands)
• Lifting light weights or objects like canned goods or water bottles at home
• Calisthenics or exercises that use your own body weight to work your muscles (examples are pushups, situps, squats, lunges)
• Strength training classes
• Other activities that build and keep muscle, like vigorous gardening