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Tips on Clearing the Exercise Hurdle
A TV sitcom lasts 30 minutes. A pizza is delivered in 30 minutes. A typical laundry wash cycle takes 30 minutes. There are 336 30-minute blocks of time in a week. The American Heart Association recommends that the average person exercise for 4 to 14 of those 336 blocks of time each week to maintain cardiovascular fitness.
Most Americans have been bombarded with messages about the health benefits of physical activity and its ability to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and other ailments. Yet according to the Surgeon General's recent Report on Physical Activity and Health, 60 percent of Americans still aren't getting sufficient exercise.
People have a wide variety of excuses for not getting the recommended activity that their bodies so badly crave. Many think they don't have enough time or energy, or they claim that exercise is just too much work. The surgeon general has declared a fight against flab, but many Americans lack the fundamental element in this fight: motivation.
The American Heart Walk is an example of an easy exercise with a motivating factor. In addition to improving personal health, each walker raises money that benefits cardiovascular research, an essential weapon against the nation's No. 1 killer and disabler: heart disease. Contact your local AHA representative or call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) for details on the walk nearest you.
The American Heart Association offers these creative strategies to help Americans clear the exercise hurdles and get moving.
Monitor your immobility. Record the amount of time spent sitting in one day. Once you realize how much time you spend on your seat, you might feel a sudden need to get off the couch and onto your feet.
Create a Fitness Menu. You are more likely to stick to a fitness routine if you have a variety of activities you enjoy. Sit down with a map of the area and look for parks or scenic bike paths. You don't have to join a gym. Walking, running, biking and dancing are easy and free. Check the local newspapers and community centers for line-dance lessons or aerobics classes. Many community centers have workout equipment available for residents to use at no charge. Cleaning, washing windows and working in the yard are activities with immediately visible results.
Develop incentives. If you are motivated by health risks, tape a different statistic on a door or wall of each room. If it is weight loss you seek, tape a picture of yourself in a swimsuit to your mirror or refrigerator. If money makes you move, reward yourself by depositing a dime in a jar for every minute spent exercising. Cash in at the end of the month and treat yourself to something frivolous.
Commit to be fit. Write down your goals for each day and make a commitment to accomplish them, but make them attainable. A body that has been sedentary for too long will be resistent to exercise. Start off with moderate activity at short intervals and build up to vigorous exercise. Allow flexibility for business, special activities or feeling ill... but not for excuses.
The more you talk, the faster you walk. Find an exercise partner. People are less likely to break a commitment with someone else than with themselves.
Prioritize your exercise. If you find that you miss the chance to exercise as the day goes by, do it first thing in the morning. If there are no 30-minute blocks in your schedule, use any chance you find. 10 minutes of walking a few times a day is better than nothing.
Adults need recess too. If you just aren't getting anything done, take a few minutes for a brisk walk. Most people come back more energized after they get their circulation going. Take a walk around the building or spend 10 minutes of your lunch hour working off that deli sandwich.
Take a mental vacation. Use exercise time to think about pleasant things. Avoid using it as a time to ponder family problems or bills. If exercise becomes associated with frustration and worry, it might be avoided. It is essential to feel good during exercise.
Activate, don't vegetate. The average person watches three to four hours of television per day. One or two 30-minute television show could be spent jumping rope, or given up all together for a bike ride around the neighborhood.
Do it for the family. Studies show that parents' activity levels affect those of their children. Be a role model for your children by showing them the importance of regular exercise. Pack up the family and go for a bike ride after the evening meal. Or walk the dog together in the morning. This is a nice time for interaction.
A TV sitcom lasts 30 minutes. A pizza is delivered in 30 minutes. A typical laundry wash cycle takes 30 minutes. There are 336 30-minute blocks of time in a week. The American Heart Association recommends that the average person exercise for 4 to 14 of those 336 blocks of time each week to maintain cardiovascular fitness.
Most Americans have been bombarded with messages about the health benefits of physical activity and its ability to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and other ailments. Yet according to the Surgeon General's recent Report on Physical Activity and Health, 60 percent of Americans still aren't getting sufficient exercise.
People have a wide variety of excuses for not getting the recommended activity that their bodies so badly crave. Many think they don't have enough time or energy, or they claim that exercise is just too much work. The surgeon general has declared a fight against flab, but many Americans lack the fundamental element in this fight: motivation.
The American Heart Walk is an example of an easy exercise with a motivating factor. In addition to improving personal health, each walker raises money that benefits cardiovascular research, an essential weapon against the nation's No. 1 killer and disabler: heart disease. Contact your local AHA representative or call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) for details on the walk nearest you.
The American Heart Association offers these creative strategies to help Americans clear the exercise hurdles and get moving.
Monitor your immobility. Record the amount of time spent sitting in one day. Once you realize how much time you spend on your seat, you might feel a sudden need to get off the couch and onto your feet.
Create a Fitness Menu. You are more likely to stick to a fitness routine if you have a variety of activities you enjoy. Sit down with a map of the area and look for parks or scenic bike paths. You don't have to join a gym. Walking, running, biking and dancing are easy and free. Check the local newspapers and community centers for line-dance lessons or aerobics classes. Many community centers have workout equipment available for residents to use at no charge. Cleaning, washing windows and working in the yard are activities with immediately visible results.
Develop incentives. If you are motivated by health risks, tape a different statistic on a door or wall of each room. If it is weight loss you seek, tape a picture of yourself in a swimsuit to your mirror or refrigerator. If money makes you move, reward yourself by depositing a dime in a jar for every minute spent exercising. Cash in at the end of the month and treat yourself to something frivolous.
Commit to be fit. Write down your goals for each day and make a commitment to accomplish them, but make them attainable. A body that has been sedentary for too long will be resistent to exercise. Start off with moderate activity at short intervals and build up to vigorous exercise. Allow flexibility for business, special activities or feeling ill... but not for excuses.
The more you talk, the faster you walk. Find an exercise partner. People are less likely to break a commitment with someone else than with themselves.
Prioritize your exercise. If you find that you miss the chance to exercise as the day goes by, do it first thing in the morning. If there are no 30-minute blocks in your schedule, use any chance you find. 10 minutes of walking a few times a day is better than nothing.
Adults need recess too. If you just aren't getting anything done, take a few minutes for a brisk walk. Most people come back more energized after they get their circulation going. Take a walk around the building or spend 10 minutes of your lunch hour working off that deli sandwich.
Take a mental vacation. Use exercise time to think about pleasant things. Avoid using it as a time to ponder family problems or bills. If exercise becomes associated with frustration and worry, it might be avoided. It is essential to feel good during exercise.
Activate, don't vegetate. The average person watches three to four hours of television per day. One or two 30-minute television show could be spent jumping rope, or given up all together for a bike ride around the neighborhood.
Do it for the family. Studies show that parents' activity levels affect those of their children. Be a role model for your children by showing them the importance of regular exercise. Pack up the family and go for a bike ride after the evening meal. Or walk the dog together in the morning. This is a nice time for interaction.
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