Getting in Shape
5 easy steps to starting and maintaining a safe, healthy exercise routine.

(1) Self Inventory, (2) Proper Stretching, (3) Moving exercises, (4) Weight training, (5) Equipment

Self Inventory - Seems as though everyone at the gym, out on the track, in the spinning/aerobics class are all trying to get in shape. The real question is get in shape for what? What does "getting in shape" actually mean? Actually, getting or being in shape means different things for different people...different athletes. For the 40 something beginner it can mean just feeling better, feeling stronger or getting good physical conditioning by taking a slow steady approach to exercise. For the 60 something beginner it might mean being able to walk up the stairs. For the Olympic 100 meter sprinter it might mean running a 9.7 second race, for the Weightlifter it may be bench pressing 700 pounds in competition, for the NFL football player it may be torturing your body running endless hills, "gassers" and lifting in the off season so that you can dominate the fourth quarter of a game in January.

The one thing common to all these different athletes is they all rely on having an exercise plan to match the goals of their physical activity. All these individuals can reach their goals by using some general physical conditioning and some more specialized physical conditioning. The general physical conditioning is intended to provide balanced physical training in endurance, strength, speed, flexibility, and other basic factors of fitness, where the specialized physical conditioning concentrates on exercises which are more specific to the particular sport or activity. Some athletes/novices only want general physical conditioning while the combination or general and specialized physical conditioning is imperative to the world class athlete. Let's look at some important aspects of "getting in shape".

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