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Getting active
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You do not have to be an athlete
to benefit from regular physical activity. Even
modest amounts of physical activity can improve
your health. Start with small, specific goals such
as walking 10 minutes a day, 3 days a week and
slowly build up from there. Keep an activity log
to track your progress.
Try these activities to add more
movement to your daily life:
- Take the stairs instead of the
elevator. Make sure the stairs are well lit.
- Get off the bus one stop early
if you are in an area safe for walking.
- Park the car farther away from
entrances to stores, movie theatres, or your
home.
- Take a short walk around the
block with family, friends, or coworkers.
- In bad weather, walk around a
mall.
- Rake the leaves or wash the
car.
- Visit museums, the zoo, or an
aquarium. You and your family can walk for hours
and not realize it.
- Take a walk after dinner
instead of watching TV.
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Are you ready to be even more
active?
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 As you become more fit, slowly increase
your pace, the length of time you are active, and
how often you are active. Before starting a
vigorous physical activity program, check with
your health care provider if you are a man and
over age 40 or a woman and over age 50, or have
chronic health problems.
For a well-rounded workout plan,
combine aerobic activity, muscle-strengthening
exercises, and stretching. Do at least 30 minutes
a day of moderate physical activity on most or all
days of the week. Add muscle-strengthening
activities to your aerobic workout two to three
times a week.
To reduce the risk of injury, do a
slow aerobic warm-up, then stretch before aerobic
or strengthening activities. Follow your workout
with a few more minutes of stretching. See WIN's
brochure Walking-A Step in the Right
Direction for stretching
exercises.
Aerobic activity
is any activity that speeds up your heart and
breathing while moving your body at a regular
pace. If you have been inactive for a while, you
may want to start with easier activities such as
walking at a gentle pace. This lets you build up
to more intense activity without hurting your
body.
Regular aerobic activity can help
to:
- Control
weight. Aerobic activity burns
calories, which may help you manage your
weight..
- Prevent heart disease
and stroke. Regular aerobic activity
can strengthen your heart muscle and lower your
blood pressure. It may also help lower
cholesterol, a type of fat in your blood.
- Maintain strong bones.
Weight-bearing aerobic activities that
involve lifting or pushing your own body weight,
such as walking, jogging, or dancing, help to
maintain strong bones.
- Improve your
outlook. Aerobic exercise relieves
tension and decreases stress. As you get fit, it
can help to build confidence and improve your
self-image.
 Choose aerobic activities that are fun.
People are more likely to be active if they like
what they are doing. It also helps to get support
from a friend or a family member. Try one of these
activities or others you enjoy:
- brisk walking or jogging
- bicycling
- swimming
- aerobic exercise classes
- dancing (square dancing, salsa,
African dance, swing)
- playing basketball or soccer
Strengthening
activities include lifting weights, using
resistance bands, and doing push-ups or sit-ups.
Besides building stronger muscles, strengthening
activities may help you to:
- Use more
calories. Not only does the exercise
burn calories, but having more muscle means you
will burn more calories-even when you are
sitting still.
- Reduce injury
. Stronger muscles improve balance and support
your joints, lowering the risk of injury.
- Maintain strong
bones. Doing strengthening exercises
regularly helps build bone and may prevent bone
loss as you age.
Strengthening exercises should
focus on working the major muscle groups of the
body, such as the chest, back, and legs. Do
exercises for each muscle group two or three times
a week. Allow at least 1 day of rest for your
muscles to recover and rebuild before another
strengthening workout. (It is safe to do aerobic
activity every day.) |
