We are all aware that some form of physical exercise is required. The body needs to keep moving through the day. Some of us get scared that we need to exercise a lot. There are yet others, who believe that more is better. So there is this whole ‘push’ culture which has come in. Where we are constantly told to push and exercise harder or longer. So one end of the spectrum, we have individuals who do not want to do any physical activity and on the other end, are the ‘do more’ individuals.

There is no balancing. There is also a misconception that the more you exert yourself, the better it is for you. Tiring yourself out, especially if you exercise in the evening may make you physically tired, but it does not necessarily result in quality sleep or even the adequate number of hours of sleep.

There is enough research which is showing that intense exercise or even daily intense exercise is not good for health. There are many things which happen when we get into this kind of exercising:

1. The body’s immunity reduces. Over the long term this causes minor and major diseases. The idea to exercise is to stay healthy, not fall ill. When the body is tired daily, it becomes more susceptible to diseases. Even if something major does not happen, one may keep getting colds, flu, cough or fever.
2. Over-exercising causes not just physical stress but also mental stress. We do not know when we are tired. The body just gets used to it. Internally, however, the body is grappling daily with stress response mechanisms. Higher unwanted hormones and impairment of glands is the result.
3. Combined with mental or work stress this becomes a killer, literally. The body gets so tired due to stress, that it may collapse; resulting in major diseases or even sudden death.
4. The metabolism changes. Do you wonder that so many times we exercise so hard, but still remain the same or have only marginal improvement. This is because your metabolism and digestive processes have changed. You may put on waist fat which does not go or also have issues like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and other digestion related problems.

So what is the correct way to exercise? We have to make sure that not only do we exercise, but also get all its benefits. It is quite simple. We need to exercise in moderation at all times. There are a few guidelines which can be followed to improve your exercise regime or even start one:

• Moderation means lesser time in each session and each session should be moderate. It has been seen that persons who exercised for six days a week for ninety minutes and more in a day, suffered from insomnia and reduced immunity. They were also more prone to injuries and falling ill.
• The second aspect emerging is that doing some intense or regular exercise once a day is not enough. It may actually start harming the body. The body requires to have physical movement throughtout the day. Which means, one should be stretching and walking three to four times a day, for at least ten to fifteen minutes each time. This is much more beneficial than a one hour sports, cardio or weight training session. The latter can be done safely, provided your body is in physical movement through the day.
• Walk through the day as much as you can. This is also good enough exercise. Keep getting off your desk and walk around while talking on the phone or have corridor meetings. Walk before lunch and before the afternoon snack.
• But walking alone is not enough. You need to stretch the body in certain ways. Two to three times a day, when the body is stretched in certain ways, it gives a lot of physiological benefits. The best way to do this is to opt for a short and effective office based online yoga program. Walk two to three times in a day and also practice our online yoga in office program for two to three times in a day. This will keep you fit and healthy.