No one can prescribe the perfect fitness plan for you. You have to figure it out based on what you enjoy doing and what you will continue to do. Consistency is the most important, the most basic, and the most often neglected part of people’s efforts to become more fit. No matter which activities you choose to do, in order to get the most benefit you need to do them consistently.

Don’t forget the important role that nutrition plays in your healthy lifestyle. A balanced diet and regular physical activity go hand in hand to help you maintain a healthy weight.

A good fitness plan has three parts: Aerobic fitness, muscle strengthening, and flexibility. Many physical activities stress two or all three of these aspects of fitness.

Aerobic fitness

Aerobic conditioning improves the function of your heart and lungs. Its purpose is to increase the amount of oxygen that is delivered to your muscles, which allows them to do more work.

Generally speaking, anything that raises your heart rate can be considered aerobic exercise include brisk walking, running, bicycling, swimming, and dancing.

You don’t have to go out of your way to improve your aerobic fitness. Many activities that you do each day will help you become more fit if you do them regularly and long enough. The following ordinary activities count as aerobic activity:

* Sweeping or mopping the floors (perhaps to fast-paced music).

* Taking the stairs to your office instead of taking the elevator.

* Walking to a nearby place instead of driving there.

Muscle strengthening

Strengthening your muscles enables you to do more work and to work longer before you become exhausted. Strong muscles also help protect your joints.

Muscles become stronger through a three-step process:

1. Stress

2. Recovery (rest)

3. Repeated stress

A program for increasing your muscle strength can be as formal or informal as you’d like it to be. You may choose to do resistance training with free weights, and/or weight-training equipments. Other simple safe, and effective strengthening exercises include bent-knee curl-ups, chinups, push-ups, side leg-lifts, and other exercises that improve abdominal, neck, arm, shoulder, and leg strength.

Flexibility

Like aerobic fitness and muscle strengthening, flexibility is a result or physical activity. Flexibility comes from stretching. Your muscles are repeatedly shortened when they are used, especially during exercise. They need to be slowly and regularly stretched to counteract the repeated shortening that happens during physical activities.

Stretching can increase your range of motion and reduce stiffness and pain. Being flexible also helps you have a better sense of balance. Stretching is particularly important during the cool down phase of exercise when your muscles are warm.

* Stretch slowly and gradually. Don’t bounce. Maintain a continuous tension on the muscle.

* Relax and hold each stretch for a count of 10.

* Exhale as you stretch to further relax your muscle. If stretching hurts, you gone too far or you are doing something incorrectly.

* Try to stretch a little every day. Take a stretch break instead of a coffee break, or take dance, martial arts, or yoga classes, which may appear to your sense of fun and adventure as well as improve your flexibility.

Dr. Gary S. Sy, M.D. is the Medical Director of Life Extension Medical Center located at The Garden Plaza Hotel (formerly Swiss Inn Hotel) 1370 General Luna St., Paco, Manila. He is a Diplomate in Gerontology and Geriatrics, advocate Diet-Nutritional Therapy, and conducts free seminar every Friday about age-related health problems. For more details, please call telephone numbers: 400-4205 or 5224835 local 315. E-mail address: lifeextension_drgarysy@yahoo.com.

Please tune in at DZRH 666 khz "Operation Tulong" every Wednesday and Friday at 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. and DZMM 630 khz "Gabay sa Kalusugan" awarded as "2005 CMMA as Best Educational Radio Program," every Sunday at 11 a.m. to 12 noon.