Five Easy Ways To Fit Exercise Into Your Busy Life
Recent studies show a little exercise can do a lot for your health:
- A moderate fitness routine such as a brisk one -to two-mile walk (20-40 minutes),
four or five days a week, offered big improvements in cardiovascular health, according
to a Duke University study of 133 overweight people.
- Walking just a half-hour each day, at least five days per week, greatly boosted
the heart health of middle-aged "couch potatoes", a study from the University of
Florida, Gainesville found.
- An hour per week spent gardening cut cardiac arrest risk by 66 percent; an hour
per week spent walking slashed that risk by 73 percent, says a Seattle study.
- Even your dog can help: Researchers at University of Missouri-Columbia found that
overweight individuals who walked their dogs each day dropped an average of 14 pounds
over the course of a year.
So what are some simple ways to jump-start a light-to-moderate exercise plan?
- If you've become a "couch potato" or just don't get much aerobic exercise, start
taking the stairs, parking your car farther away, or walk to the corner store.
- If you're a "Monday morning quarterback" running for the train, try setting your
alarm clock half an hour earlier and ride your bike there instead.
- If you enjoy watching sports, you'll probably enjoy playing them more. Join a local
recreational sports team (and socialize while you get fit.)
- Take small steps in the right direction. You don't have to join a health club or
hire a personal trainer to exercise. Just start doing activities you enjoy—walking,
swimming, biking, dancing, gardening or whatever—and you'll have an easier
time getting into fitness routines.
- Mix it up. If you've been walking, try swimming. Or simply vary your routes and
your walking speed.
Once you experience how good you feel, and make the commitment to stick with it,
you'll be on your way to greater fitness. |
