Why Bother Exercising?

If you read the title of this blog and thought "Great, she's going to tell me it's not all that important" you couldn't be more wrong. Making regular physical activity a part of your lifestyle is probably the best thing you can do for your mental and physical health. Nutriton advice can be tricky and sometimes conflicting but exercise advice is pretty straight forward: it's good for you. As more and more studies on physical activity are completed more health benefits are discovered. Sadly, over half of all US adults do not get the recommended amount of exercise and our health and waistlines are suffering because of that.

The health benefits of exercise are numerous:

• Decreases risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, colon cancer, and breast cancer


• Decreases stress, enhances mood and reduces depression


• Helps maintain bone and joint health


• Helps maintain weight, prevents weight gain, and promotes weight loss


• Improved heart health, cardiovascular fitness, and muscle strength

Just how much physical activity does it take? The guidelines are as follows:

For general health: 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity most days (or about 75-150 minutes of activity/week depending on intensity)

For weight maintenance: 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity most days of the week

For weight loss: 60-90 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity every day

Moderate intensity activities are those that elevate your heart rate and increase breathing but are still easy enough that you can talk (but not sing) while doing them. Examples include brisk walking, dancing, gardening/yard work, pedaling easily on a bike, and light weight lifting.

Vigorous activities are more intense. You should be breathing hard enough that you cannot carry on a normal conversation. Examples include running, bicycling, aerobics, basketball, and heavy weight lifting.

The intensity that you exercise at will be dictated by your health and goals. Do not start out too intensely or you risk injury. If you haven't been exercising or have health complications begin at a low/moderate intensity. If you've already been exercising for awhile it's time to take it up to a more vigorous level. It is important to continually change up your workouts (whether intensity, time, or type of exercise) to make sure that you are constantly challenging your body. The human body is highly adaptable and after months of nothing but the same old 30 minutes of walking a day your body will adapt and you will hit a fitness plateau.

Be sure to include a mix of aerobic/cardiovascular (walking, jogging, biking), strength/resistance (lifting, or other weight bearing activities such as push ups and squats), and balance/flexibility(stretching, yoga) exercises.

So why bother exercising? Because you will feel better, look better, and live longer!

Remember, exercise doesn't have to be some boring activity that takes place in a gym. Walk, hike, bike, dance, rollerblade, swim, kickbox, ski, rockclimb, row, play a team sport,...the key is moving your body. The human body was not meant to sit at a desk all day. Try new activities until you discover one that you find enjoyable. That way you will be much more likely to keep doing it. Don't force yourself to participate in an activity that you can't stand, that's not the point and you won't be able to keep it up forever. That picture on this blog....that's me riding in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic. I found cycling, now you go and find your passion!
Get creative, get motivated, and get going!!

You can read more about the government's guidelines for physical activity at:
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/physical/pdf/PA_Fact_Sheet_Adults.pdf