Image: Bigstock If you're not an athlete or serious exerciser — and you just want to work out for your health or to fit in your clothes better — the gym scene can be intimidating and overwhelming. What are the best exercises for me. How will I find the time. Just having to walk by treadmills, stationary bikes, and weight machines can be enough to make you head straight back hit the gym word search to the couch. Yet some of the best physical activities for your body don't require the gym or ask you to get fit enough to run a marathon. They'll help keep your weight under control, improve your balance and range of motion, strengthen your bones, protect your joints, prevent bladder control problems, and even ward off memory loss. No matter your age or fitness level, these activities are some of the best exercises you can do and will help you get in shape and lower your risk for disease: 1. Swimming You might call swimming the perfect workout. The buoyancy of the water supports your body and takes the strain off painful joints so you can move them more fluidly. I-Min Lee, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Research has found that swimming can also improve your mental state and put you in a better mood. Water aerobics is another option. These classes help you burn calories and tone up. Tai chi This Chinese martial art that combines movement and relaxation is good for both body and mind. Because the classes are offered at various levels, tai chi is accessible — and valuable — for people of all ages and fitness levels. Take a class to help you get started and learn the proper form. Strength training If you believe that is a macho, brawny activity, think again. Lifting light weights won't bulk up your muscles, but it will keep them strong. Muscle also helps burn calories. Similar to other exercise, strength training may also help preserve brain function in later years. Before starting a weight training program, be sure to learn the proper form. Start light, with just one or two pounds. You should be able to lift the weights 10 times with ease. After a couple of weeks, increase that by a pound or two. If you can easily lift the weights through the entire range of motion more than 12 times, move up to slightly heavier weight. Walking Walking is simple, yet powerful. It can help you stay trim, improve cholesterol levels, strengthen bones, keep blood pressure in check, lift your mood, and lower your risk for a number hit the gym word search diseases diabetes and heart disease, for example. A number of studies have shown that walking and other physical activities can even improve memory and resist age-related memory loss. All you need is a well-fitting and supportive pair of shoes. Start with walking for about 10 to15 minutes at a time. Over time, you can start to walk farther and faster, until you're walking for 30 to 60 minutes on most days of the week. Kegel exercises These exercises won't help you look better, but they do something just as important — strengthen the pelvic floor muscles that support the bladder. Strong pelvic floor muscles can go a long way toward preventing incontinence. While many women are familiar with Kegels, these exercises can benefit men too. To do a Kegel exercise correctly, squeeze the muscles you would use to prevent yourself from passing urine or gas. Hold the contraction for two or three seconds, then release. Make sure to completely relax your pelvic floor muscles after the contraction. Try to do four to five sets a day. Many of the things we do for fun and work count as exercise. Raking the yard counts as physical activity. So does ballroom dancing and playing with your kids or grandkids. For additional information on this and other questions about getting started on a healthy exercise program, reada Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School. Daily Health Tip Take advantage of fresh produce Global trade makes it possible to get fresh hit the gym word search year-round. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is a great way to stay healthy. Add blueberries to your morning cereal; sauté zucchini and red pepper as a side with dinner; add Swiss chard to casseroles.
