10 x 3= health and prevention

Regular physical exercise promotes good health as it reduces the risk of heart attacks and helps prevent problems such as hypertension, obesity, osteoporosis and depression from arising.But how long should we train for and how often?And how should our training session be structured?

The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association responded to these questions in a recently published paper aimed at men and women between 18 and 65 years of age.

The results of this study offer good news for people with limited free time available for sports activities and exercise. It demonstrates that as little as 30 minutes of daily exercise is sufficient in preventing many of our health-related problems.

Futhermore, this beneficial half-hour can be spread out into three blocks of 10 minutes throughout the course of the day.

The frequency of weekly exercise is determined by the ‘intensity' of each session: for example, jogging is defined as a 'high intensity' activity, whilst walking is considered 'light' training. Intense physical exercise can improve the state of our health with only three weekly training sessions, while lighter exercise requires five weekly training sessions.

In addition to aerobic exercise, experts also recommend some degree of muscular strength training: training twice a week on non-consecutive days with 8-10 stretching exercises involving the major muscle groups is sufficient for maintaining and improving our physical condition.

Only 30 minutes is needed. And it can be carried out at home or at the office.

In fact, staying healthy does not mean having access to a fully equipped gym: it is sufficient to have effective and safe accessories to hand, including the Technogym Wellness Tools™, that are always easily accessible.

Where stretching is concerned, for example, you can choose between the versatile and engaging Wellness Ball™ and the evergreen Wellness Pad, a mat created for floor exercises. In order to improve muscle tone gradually, Technogym has created the Wellness Rack, a weight rack that features two handles designed to be loaded with weights. The exclusive look and feel of the Wellness Rack enables it to be adapted to any location.

You can look after your health even when travelling. Thanks to the Wellness Bag™, Technogym's innovative accessories kit comprising handles, elastic bands and ankle braces, you can train when on holiday or while away on business.

However, training machines and equipment are not the only tools to wellbeing. Researchers stress the importance of carrying out every day tasks, however small, as a means of exercise. Walking to work quickly from home can be the first ‘training session' of the day and the first step towards a new, simple way of staying healthy.