You've heard it a million times - get moving!
Maybe you are already an exerciser,
if not; here it is again-get moving!
There are many reasons to add exercise to your life. It improves cardiovascular health, muscle tone, agility, and physical well-being. It helps to decrease stress, and reduces mild depression. It gives you something that you do that is all your own-not for the kids, your office, or anyone else!
Barriers preventing you from exercising may include some of the following: "I don't have the time", "I'm overweight", "out of shape", and so on. Truthfully, the only barrier that is seriously a problem is a physical injury or disability.
Some people have pain in their bodies. If this is you, and it is mild, a great choice for exercise is "water walking." This is walking back and forth in the shallow end of the pool-a great workout with little impact.
The primary components of an exercise program include frequency, intensity and time, or, how hard you workout, and for how long. Try to combine some aerobic and weight training. If your goal is fitness, current recommendations are about half and hour a day, a few days a week. If you want to lose weight, the time needs to be increased (gradually!) to about an hour of aerobic work 4 to 6 days a week.
Check with your physician first, and then get going! The best workout and time of day are what fit for your life and what you want to do. Try to make it an "appointment" each day. Once you get started, it does become fun!
You can make tracking simple by paying attention to how hard you are working, (perceived exertion), and gradually increase to a good level for you.
Enjoy adding movement to your life!
Rachael Martin, M.S., R.D. is the owner of Eating and Body Image Solutions, a nutritional therapy and consulting business. She also works as a freelance writer and speaker on nutritional topics. Her specialties include mental health nutrition, eating disorders, weight management, longevity nutrition and PCOS. She can be reached at 235.1568 or at ebis-rd@earthlink.net
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