Exercise
30 Minutes to Better Health in 2010
By
Dec 25, 2009 - 11:09:49 AM

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., -- Adding 30 minutes of daily physical activity should top your list of New Year's resolutions for a healthier 2010, says Peter Brubaker, professor of health and exercise science at Wake Forest University. Regular daily exercise is the most important step toward a healthier lifestyle, Brubaker says.

"People don't realize you can get tremendous benefit from regular physical activity even if you never lose a pound," he says. The benefits of increased physical activity include a reduced risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, bone and joint conditions, and sleep apnea.

Brubaker, who is the director of the healthy exercise and lifestyle programs (HELPS) at Wake Forest, offers several tips for how to increase daily physical activity:

-- Set a goal of 30 minutes a day of physical activity. It doesn't need
to be all at once. Five minutes here, 10 minutes there is fine. As
long as it is done at moderate intensity, you will get sufficient
health benefits.
-- Walk. For most people, the easiest and most efficient activity is
simply walking.
-- Wear a pedometer. Recent studies have shown that people wearing
pedometers increase their activity level by 25 percent.
-- Build activity into your daily routine. Get up from your desk to
deliver a message. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Add some
extra steps when you are doing household chores. Find small ways to
get moving.
-- Record daily physical activity in a journal. Self-monitoring is
important when making a lifestyle change and journaling activity
levels can be good reinforcement.
-- Don't worry so much about weight loss. Realize if you are regularly
active you can get significant health benefits even if you never lose
a pound. People serious about weight loss should build in 60 minutes
per day of physical activity.
-- Find activities you enjoy and feel good about doing. Try a variety of
activities. Variety is good for the body - and the mind.
-- Get the support of friends and family. Challenge them to add 30
minutes of physical activity to their daily routine and you can hold
each other accountable.
-- Set realistic expectations. There is a risk in building up
expectations that you'll make a change Jan. 1. The biggest obstacle to
successful lifestyle change is expectation. People are unrealistic
about what they can achieve and how quickly they can achieve it. Any
time is a good time to make a commitment to change your life style.

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