Exercise: Staying With the Program is the Challenge
You've heard it a thousand times: "exercise to lose weight, live longer and feel your best." But how do you find a program you can stick with? The good news is that just 15 to 30 minutes of moderate to brisk exercise even walking at least three times a week can make a difference in your life.
Many medical studies show that exercise lowers your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and osteoporosis a bone-thinning disease. Regular exercise also may lower your risk of colon cancer and reduce some of the effects of aging.
With all of these benefits, why isn't everybody exercising? Because, itâs hard to start a new habit that doesn't provide a quick fix. These tips can help you get started on a regular program of exercise, and stick with it:
- Set simple goals. Aim to lose a few pounds, build stamina, or look better in a swimsuit.
- Start slow. Do 10 minutes of light exercise or walk every day. Gradually increase exercise time over a few weeks.
- Keep things simple. Walk or run in your neighborhood, use a gym close to home, or set up home exercise equipment in front of your TV set.
- Pick the right activity. If pumping iron and heart-pounding aerobic workouts aren't for you, try walking, bicycling or swimming.
- Don't let bad weather stop you. Walk in a mall, join a health club or use home exercise equipment when itâs too hot or too cold to safely exercise outdoors.
- Don't get discouraged. It may take many weeks to notice the beneficial changes to your body.
- Listen to your body. A little soreness is okay after you exercise, but pain that lasts may be a sign of injury or too much exercise.
The preceding article was provided as a public service in support of Family Health Month by The American Academy of Family Physicians, 8880 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, Missouri 64114-2797 USA, (800) 274-2237, ext. 4218, or (816) 333-9700; FAX: (816) 333-3344; e-mail: 74144.1573@compuserve.com
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Practice balance diet for healthy nutrition.
Fifty million Americans will go on diets this year, spending some $30 billion on diet programs and products. Some will lose a few pounds. Only a few -- about one out of 20 -- will keep the lost weight off in the long run.
Before you tackle another weight loss program, consider these facts: Any claims that you can lose weight with little or no effort are false. Very low calorie diets or fasting can be risky and should not be attempted without a doctor's supervision. Fad diets that call for radical departures from normal eating habits rarely work in the long run.
Arthritis -- a chronic inflammation of the joints -- affects more than 37 million Americans and comes in more than 100 varieties. The most common type of arthritis is degenerative arthritis (also called osteoarthritis). It has no cure and tends to get worse over time. However, arthritis sufferers can do many things to stay active.
Easier ways to exercise
If you're overweight, exercising can be an "exercise" in feeling self-conscious -- especially if you must go to a gym filled with thin, muscular types.
Ideas that can help
Join a health club that caters to heavy individuals. These facilities downplay mirrored walls and other bodybuilder trappings. Check your phone book to see if there's one near you.
Buy a piece of exercise equipment for your home -- a treadmill, rowing machine or stationary bike for aerobic conditioning, and a set of weights for strength.
Physical Fitness Has Many Benefits:
- Stress, boredom, and depression are minimized, as exercise seems to take the edge off daily tension.
- Skin tone is improved through fitness, giving that healthy glow!
- When our bodies demand more oxygen, such as for climbing stairs, it's no problem!
- Muscle tone is revitalized; strength, endurance, and even posture can improve.
- Fitness allows your heart to function with less strain placed upon it.
If a miracle drug could help you lose weight, build muscles, avoid disease, stave off bone loss, and improve your mental health, would you take it? Before you answer, know that you need to take the drug three to five times a week, and each dose takes 30 to 45 minutes to administer. Also, the drug causes most people to sweat and breathe heavily, but only during its administration.
Still interested? With benefits like that, who could refuse?
The "drug," of course, is exercise. So why don't more women "take" it? Maybe exercise needs an ad agency.
How much do you know about breast cancer? The answer is probably, "not enough." Because 182,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed every year in the United States, it's a subject worth learning about. Your health, your life, or the life of a woman close to you may depend on knowing a few simple facts:
It is a well established fact that better cardiovascular health gained by regular exercise reduces your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels. Now, new research suggests that regular cardiovascular exercise might benefit your brain as well. Two separate studies published last September in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) report that walking regularly may help preserve mental sharpness.
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