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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

How Much Exercise is Enough?

How Much Exercise is “Enough?”

We all know that exercise is an essential part of your overall health. Thirty minutes of physical activity, every day, is where it begins to help you maintain a healthy weight and reap the benefits of lowering your risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and hypertension. But is 30 minutes enough for everyone?

The American College of Sports Medicine gives basic guidelines for the min. amount of exercise for better health:

Moderately intense cardio 30 minutes/day, 5 days/week. If you can have a conversation while working out, you're probably working at a moderate level.
OR
Vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes/day, 3 days/week.  When you become too out of breath to talk comfortably, you are doing vigorous activity. Running is considered vigorous exercise, while fast walking is moderate exercise.
AND
Eight to 10 strength-training exercises doing 8 to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week. The major muscle groups are lower body, abs, shoulders, biceps, triceps, chest, and back.

When Does the Minimum Time Increase?The amount of physical activity you need varies depending on your weight and goals for weight loss. If you’re following the 30-minute guideline and are gaining weight or not losing weight, you may need 60 to 90 minutes a day to see results.

Ninety minutes every day is recommended for people who have been significantly overweight, lost a substantial amount of weight, and/or seek to maintain that weight loss long term. While 90 minutes is the minimum for people in this category, most people aren't even doing 30 minutes.

Cumulative Effects of Exercise
Is your goal to make time to exercise and find a way to work the recommended amount--whether it’s 30, 60, or 90 minutes-- into a busy schedule?  The good news is, you can do it in bits and pieces, think of it as money in the exercise bank!

The effects of exercise are cumulative so you don’t have to do it all at once. Like change in your pocket, it all adds up at the end of the day. While you don't need to spend hours at the gym every day, you do have to get your heart pumping. Here are some guidelines to follow:



Did you break a sweat? Whatever activity you choose, move your body to a degree that makes you breathe faster or harder. When you do, you are being physically active which burns calories and turns in to inches lost.


What happens if you miss a day? Energy balance means that you will burn more calories on the other days. In a sense, you can’t make up for a skipped day but you are increasing your metabolism overall with exercise. The bigger problem is falling off the exercise wagon and never getting back on. When you miss a day, don't try to pack more into your next workout because you will feel overwhelmed, sore, and tired and you may never want to exercise again. At the very least, squeeze some push-ups or sit-ups in and get back into your routine the next day.


Schedule the time. Physical activity for 30 to 90 minutes on most days can be done if you make it a priority--but it's something you have to want to do. Put exercise on your calendar and don’t plan anything in those time slots. You will be surprised how easy it is to keep going!

If you or your loved ones are struggling to lose weight, eat healthy and remain stress-free, visit my website and feel free to contact me for a consultation.  Enjoy the tips and remember, Healthy is a Lifestyle! 
 
Sources:
ACSM and AHA. Physical Activity and Public Health Guidelines. ACSM. Accessed Jan 31, 2011.
Jakicic JM, Clark K, Coleman E, et al. American College of Sports Medicine. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Appropriate intervention strategies for weight loss and prevention of weight regain for adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2001 Dec;33(12):2145-56.
President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.Fitness Fundamentals: Guidelines for Personal Exercise Programs. www.fitness.gov. Accessed Jan 31, 2011.

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