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Reasons pages:
10 Healthy Ideas:
1. Drink water
2. Stop smoking
3. Walk after eating
4. Floss your teeth
5. Use the stairs
6. Play a sport
7. Take vitamins
8. Go dancing
9. One less cookie
10. Stretch daily
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Reasons: Best Times to Exercise
How often should I exercise? Should I follow a routine?
1. Generally, the more the better.
2. But some is much better than none!
Take your goals into account:
- To improve general health and lower the risks of various diseases, getting 30 minutes of exercise at least 4 days of the week is the goal. Feel free to accumulate the activity over the course of a day. Three ten minute walks are just as good as one 30 minute walk, and may be more convenient.
- To lose weight, attempt 45 minutes of a moderate activity on a daily basis. Exercise is an important part of successful weight loss programs. If you can't commit 45 minutes, giving even 20 minutes will increase your health and help prevent the regain of lost weight.
When is it too hot to exercise?
Overheating can cause serious problems. "Heat exhaustion" is characterized by dizziness, headache, nausea and sometimes confusion. "Heat stroke" is more serious yet. It too is accompanied by dizziness, headache and nausea but is notable by two other problems: sweating stops, and body temperature becomes dangerously high.
- If possible, exercise in early morning or evening when it's cooler.
- Reduce your program until you become used to the hot weather.
- Wear a minimum amount of light, loose-fitting clothes.
- Hydrate with water before you start. Carry water with you or exercise where it's available. Drink at least every 30 minutes.
- Where feasible, do your walking or other exercise in air conditioned environment.
When is it too cold to exercise?
You don't have to stop because of the cold weather. Move indoors if possible . . . walk on a treadmill or in the mall. Or go to a health club. If you are
outside in low temperatures or foul weather:
- Wear a hat or at least earmuffs (your head is a major source of heat loss).
- Wear gloves (or better yet, mittens) and a scarf.
- Dress in layers. Use clothing next to your skin that wicks away any moisture (like polypropylene), then a wool sweater or a fleece jacket or vest. An outer wind and water resistant covering such as Gore-Tex may be needed. More thin layers are better than a couple thick ones.
How do I track progress?
Record information about each of your workouts or simply "daily exercise" on a fitness log or journal or calendar. You can include basic information
such as distance walked or number of repetitions for particular exercises. Or you can add more details such as weather conditions, how you felt,
the intensity of the sessions and even the clothing you wore. Besides making sure you are sticking to your program, the information can serve to motivate
you to add or improve.
How do I fit a training program into my busy schedule?
Getting started is the key. Begin by looking at a weekly calendar and find the 3 most convenient times to put at least 30 minutes into your regular
schedule. Consider them mandatory and eventually try to add one or more other times. Note what you will do during each period, such as walk in park, jog on treadmill or calisthenics. If you can find a training partner to join you during one or more of these periods, it will help each of you stay motivated to
show up! See Training Logs for more sample calendars.
What if travel interferes with my fitness routine?
Traveling makes it hard to follow a healthy lifestyle in many ways. Diet and sleep are difficult to follow. But exercise programs must be continued,
even if you have to make adjustments. Walk while waiting for a plane, or in your hotel lobby. Most hotels provide exercise equipment. You can look for
a local shopping mall or park and get a side benefit of learning more about your destination. An exercise program can cut down on jet lag and keep you
refreshed, and you won't lose the strength or endurance you've worked hard to achieve.
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No excuses! No matter where you are:
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida,
Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma,
Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah,
Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Get healthy in...
Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami,
Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Denver, Houston, Minneapolis, Dallas, New Orleans, Mobile, Nashville,
Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Montreal, Toronto
...and all towns in between!
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