Regular physical activity protects your health in many ways. To experience these health benefits, it's necessary to meet certain criteria. The following guidelines can help you design your personal activity program to be both effective and safe.
Physical Activity Protects Your Health By:
- Burning excess calories to help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight
- Lowering your blood pressure and improving your blood cholesterol levels (HDLs), which can reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke
- Improving your insulin sensitivity, which helps prevent or control diabetes
- Improving your mood and self image, which helps combat depression and anxiety
- Strengthening your muscles and bones, which decreases your injury risk and helps prevent osteoporosis
- Reducing your risk for colon cancer, breast cancer, and other cancers
Choice of Activities
Here's the good news: For most people, physical activity doesn't have to be strenuous to be beneficial. When first starting, choose moderate activities you enjoy and that are within your current level of capacity. As you get used to regular activity and want a greater challenge, you can participate in more vigorous activity.
National guidelines state:
"Every adult should accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week."
Moderate Physical Activities
The following moderate activities are similar in energy expenditure and are good examples of a daily fitness program to get good health results:
- Active gardening for 30 to 45 minutes
- Walking for 35 minutes (1.75 to 2 miles)
- Bicycling, 8 to 10 mph for 30 minutes
- Active dancing for 30 to 40 minutes
- Mowing the lawn with a push or power mower
- Doing water aerobics for 30 to 40 minutes
- Swimming laps at a moderate pace for 25 to 30 minutes
- Conditioning exercises for 30 to 40 minutes
- Golfing for 45 to 60 minutes
- Playing table tennis for 45 to 60 minutes
- Playing volleyball, social, for 45 to 60 minutes
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Safety
When beginning an activity, ease into it. Give your heart and muscles time to warm up for more vigorous activity to follow. The same is true for the end of the activity. Cool down gradually with easy walking, stretching, or other lower intensity activity.
Most healthy people don't need to see their doctors before starting a moderate-intensity activity program. However, if you have a health problem, such as diabetes, obesity, or a heart problem, get your doctor's guidance first before beginning a fitness program.
Duration
How long do you need to exercise? Notice that the guidelines say to "accumulate 30+ minutes daily." You don't have to get all your exercise at one time. It may be easier for you to break it up into two 15-minute active sessions or even three 10-minute sessions.
For example: If you walk 15 minutes to catch a bus in the morning and again in the evening, you would get your 30 minutes. Or maybe you walk 15 minutes at noon each day and then bike or mow your lawn for another 15+ minutes in the evening. If you want more benefit, go a little longer.
Progression
Another safety consideration is to start easy and progress gradually. You might only be able to go 5 or 10 minutes when first starting. Gradually increase over several weeks to the full 30+ minutes. When you can easily complete your 30+ minutes, you can gradually increase intensity if you wish to develop higher fitness levels. It might have taken you years to get out of shape. Don't try to get back into shape over night. Give your body time to adapt and strengthen.
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Intensity
When first beginning, exercise at an easy level – one that you can maintain for 10 to 30 minutes without undue strain or fatigue. A moderate-intensity activity should feel "fairly easy to somewhat hard" and make you breathe deeply but not be out of breath. Working up a moderate sweat is also a good indication of benefit.
If you want a more specific guide, use the exercise heart rate calculator below.
Keeping Motivated
- Set weekly goals, and track your progress. A goal might be 30+ minutes of activity five days per week. Or, it might be walking two miles four days each week. Be specific, and write it down. Then check your progress weekly.
- Exercise with your spouse or a friend. Adding a social element helps keep it fun.
- Try a variety of activities. Walk, bike, swim, hike on the weekends, play tennis, or garden.
- Don't overdo it! If you get too tired or get sore muscles, it isn't much fun. Take it easy, but be regular. Your body will adapt.
- Think of exercise as "play time." Have fun!
- Reward yourself as you reach your personal fitness goal.
- Join a fitness center or a biking or hiking club.
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For every hour you exercise
you increase your life expectancy by two hours.
Ralph Paffenbarger, Harvard Alumni Study
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