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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – In many areas of the country this is the time of year when it is cold. This winter even the south is experiencing snowfalls that curtail or stop some well-intentioned exercise plans. I know what some of you are thinking. You are too busy to go to the gym. You don’t have enough stamina after work to take an exercise class. Who will watch the kids? You haven’t exercised in years.
Let me introduce you to the easiest exercise program ever – just move! Some people love the gym or formal exercise classes, but you can exercise and never enter a gym. Simple lifestyle changes can offer the same benefits as a structured exercise program. Walk stairs instead of taking the escalator, clean the house, do yard work, take a daily walk. Just move, as much as you can as often as you can throughout the day.
For a person who weighs 150 pounds, 10 minutes of lying on the couch watching TV burns about 15 calories. If you simply sat up, you would burn 20 calories. Walking in place for 10 minutes burns 40 calories, jogging bumps you to 90. Adding a leisurely 10-minute walk a day can burn 14,600 calories a year! Getting the picture? And burning calories is only part of the benefit.
A recent study published in the Journal of Epidemiology demonstrated that physical activity of any intensity provides health benefits. The study looked at close to 8,000 middle-aged and older adults and found that replacing just 30 minutes of sitting with low-intensity physical activity lowers the risk of early death by 17%. Step up to 30 minutes of moderate exercise and the risk of early death drops by 35%. The researchers also found the short bursts of activity, as little as a minute or two, provided some health benefit.
It is estimated that one in four adults spends more than 8 hours a day sitting. If you have a job or lifestyle that involves a lot of sitting it is important to move often. We have systematically engineered activity out of our lives. We don’t need to get up to change the TV channels or get out of the car to buy a meal, go to the bank, pick up a prescription or open the garage door.
By adding real-life fitness activities to your day, you may not gain a 6-pack midriff but you will tone your heart, muscles and lungs.
Pace while you are talking on the phone.
Deliver memos and messages in person rather than email, text or phone.
Go window shopping at lunch.
Clean – washing floors, vacuuming carpets, washing windows and scrubbing bathrooms equals vigorous activity.
Garden – weeding, hoeing, cutting the lawn, raking and trimming bushes is as good as a game of tennis.
Use a basket not a cart when shopping for a few items – it is like a free weight that keeps getting heavier; switch arms for a maximum workout.
Sign up for a charity walk, run or bike.
Turn off the TV one night a week and plan something active.
Make exercise a hobby – take golf, tennis or dance lessons.
Don’t use the drive-thru and park far from the door.
Take the stairs.
Dance – rumba, salsa, polka, tango – square dancers can cover 5 miles in an evening.
Grocery shop – push, lift, bend – load and unload the food at home. One hour in the supermarket can equal a half-hour moderate walk on a treadmill.
Spend rainy weekends walking around a museum; when the sun shines go to the park or the zoo.
Go bowling instead of the movies.
Walk the dog.
Push the baby carriage; take the kids to the playground and play with them.
Be an active spectator; walk the circumference of the soccer field while the kids are playing.
Getting fit produces positive changes in your cells, organs, muscles, blood and bones. In practical terms it means you can climb stairs or carry heavier packages without becoming breathless. And, most importantly, you will add years to your life. Just move!
© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of 30 books. Available as eBooks from iTunes and Kindle/Amazon:
Diabetes Counter – the most up-to-date information on managing diabetes
Calorie Counter – a weight loss guide that won’t let you down
Protein Counter – put the latest protein recommendations to work for you
Healthy Wholefoods Counter – planet-friendly eating made easy
Complete Food Counter – food counts and nutrition information at your fingertips
Fat and Cholesterol Counter – newest approach to heart-healthy eating
Available in print from Gallery Books:
Most Complete Food Counter, 3rd Ed.
Your Complete Food Counter App: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/your-complete-food-counter/id444558777?mt=8
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to: www.TheNutritionExperts.com.