Most aerobic exercise keeps the whole body moving in a continuous and rhythmic manner. Examples include walking, biking, dancing, skating, swimming and rowing. It is an activity which makes the heart and lungs work harder than they do during regular daily activities.
Whether performed solo, in a group or a class, regular aerobic exercise helps with improved overall health; the heart, lungs, circulatory system and blood vessels function more efficiently, delivering more oxygen to the active parts of the body, resulting in more stamina. Other benefits include enhanced lymphatic flow, lower blood pressure, reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes, improved mood due to the increased production of dopamine and serotonin, increased energy level, better sleep, and higher self-esteem.
Strength training typically involves weightlifting, resistance training or the use of training machines and equipment. Strength training has many health benefits as part of a regular fitness program, such as increased metabolism, increased muscular strength and endurance, stronger bones, more energy, improved balance, and less risk of injury.
Combined, is an ideal way to approach optimal body function for overall health, wellbeing and longevity.
Please note: Personal training is recommended, especially for novices at the beginning of their fitness journey, to make sure the body is in correct alignment in order to exercise safely for best results, and is a good motivator for accountability.
The continuous pursuit of fitness has been around since the beginning of man’s existence, firstly for the purpose of survival, and later training for battle. Ancient military training had similarities to the early cavemen movements such as walking and running on uneven terrains, jumping, crawling, climbing, lifting and carrying heavy things, throwing and catching, unarmed fighting, and weapons training.
Records of athletic competitions exist from ancient Egypt, and the ancient Greeks. Egyptian tomb hieroglyphics illustrate men lifting bags filled with sand, and stone-swinging and throwing exercises, and in the early Greek civilisation, various sporting activities became popular with the aim to participate in sport for fun and attain physical health, leading to the origins of the Olympic Games. The sports were all based on practical, natural movements, and were related to the preparedness needed for war such as running (often with armour and shield), jumping, throwing (javelin or discus), and fighting (striking and wrestling).
Outside of military training and sports, Greeks, and later the Romans, revered the body’s beauty and strength and embraced physical training as a philosophical ideal, celebrating the idea of having a ‘sound mind in a sound body’.
The chaotic period of the Middle Ages focused on cultivating the mind rather than training the body, followed by theRenaissance Era which once again saw profound and open interest in the body, anatomy, biology, health, and physical education.
From 15th century onwards saw the openings of sports arenas across Europe, and many schools incorporated physical education alongside academic subjects. In 1553, a Spaniard Cristobal Mendez, wrote ‘El Libro del Ejercicio Corporal y Sus Provechos’, the first book to exclusively address physical exercise and its health benefits. All known exercises, games, and sports were classified, analysed, and described from a medical standpoint, including advice on how to prevent and recover from injuries.
In the 20th century, a French navy officer and physical educator Georges Hebert played a major role in moving physical culture forward and pioneered his own “natural method,” based on natural movements such as walking, running, balancing, jumping, crawling, climbing, manipulative skills (lifting, throwing, etc.), and self-defence – all of which were often practiced on obstacle courses. Hebert was responsible for the physical training of all sailors in the French navy, and then opened the largest and most modern indoor/outdoor training centre in Reims in 1913.
