How to Start Moving Towards Health

by Sue Greenfield

In the last edition of the FCPE's Newsletter, Robert Otto reminded us of the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle - an increased incidence of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, diabetes, obesity, and even premature death. He also pointed out some of the health benefits to be gained by adopting a more active lifestyle - enhanced glucose control, reduced blood pressure, attenuated osteoporosis and osteopenia, enhanced body composition, and a lowered risk of cardiovascular disease.

Regular exercise can also increase your ability to cope with stress, give you more energy, decrease anxiety and depression, improve sleep, and improve self-image. The overall effect of an active lifestyle is associated with a better quality of life and a reduced risk for premature disease. Who doesn't want that?
For health benefits, the American Heart Association (AHA) currently recommends moderate to vigorous activity for 30-60 minutes on most days of the week at 50-75 percent of maximum heart rate (to calculate 50-75% of your maximum heart rate visit www.americanheart.org). I know what you are thinking, "I don't have that kind of time!"

With some creative planning it is not only possible to fit exercise into your day, but you can actually enjoy doing it. Two of the key points to remember are to look for ways to increase your activity as you go about your day and to choose activities that you love to do. If you are middle-aged or older, sedentary, and at risk for heart disease or already have a medical condition, check with your physician before increasing your daily activity. The AHA says that most apparently healthy people can begin moderate levels of physical activity without consulting a doctor first.
OK, let's get started!

If you tend to be sedentary, start off by gradually increasing your physical activity during your day. Starting too fast with high intensity can leave you sore and discouraged. The key is to look for opportunities to move. Walking is easy to do, it's portable, and you are in control of how fast or slow you want to go.

At Home:
--Work in the garden.
--Wash windows, vacuum, or dust by reaching for the high spots.
--Go for a 5-10 minute walk before breakfast and/or after dinner.
--Gradually increase the time until you are walking 30 minutes or more a day. Take a family member with you or meet a friend to walk.
--Walk or bike to pick up the quart of milk you forgot.
--Walk and play with your dog.
--Park further away and walk the extra distance to the mall, movies, train station or office.
--Plan family outings that include physical activity.
--Set up a badminton net or croquet course at your next barbeque.
--Join friends for an activity instead of for dinner.

While watching TV:
--Put the treadmill, stationary bike, or jump rope in front of the TV; increase the pace during commercials.
--Check the TV schedule for exercise programs and participate.
--Hide the TV remote control and get up to change the channel.
--Tune in to a station with music and dance.
--There are 18 minutes of commercials for every hour of TV. Use that time to do jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups or any other movement that doesn't include lifting food to mouth or finger to remote.
--Make a deal with yourself of no TV without a work-out.

At the Office:
--Instead of emailing or phoning, walk down the hall to speak to someone.
--Always take the stairs instead of the elevator.
--Lunch Laps: keep sneakers in your office and walk around the beautiful Adelphi campus during lunch.
--Walk around your building several times during the day.
--Plan a new project with a co-worker while taking a walk together.
--Balance on one foot while talking on the phone.
--Stretch while sitting or standing.
--Chair Sit-Ups: While sitting in your chair, hold onto the seat and lift your feet off the floor by using your abdominal muscles.

Once you have incorporated more activity into your day, try doing more on the weekends. If you hate jogging - don't do it! If you pick something you enjoy doing you are more likely to stick with it. To make any exercise program a part of your life it should be fun and leave you with a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment.

A great side benefit of being active is that the whole family can be involved and you become a role model for a healthy lifestyle for your children or grandchildren. On a personal note, I took snowboarding lessons with my two daughters. We all laughed so hard and I learned that I could still do forward-rolls down the mountain and live to tell about it! It can be a humbling experience as you watch your children excel, but gratifying when they are parenting you by encouraging and assisting your efforts.

To ascertain if the intensity of your workout is sufficient, take your heart rate to ensure that you are in your target heart rate range. Some people like to use a "conversational pace" to monitor their efforts. The general rule is, if you can talk and walk at the same time, you are not working too hard. If you can sing and continue with your activity, you are probably not working hard enough. If you are out of breath you are working too hard.
Now you have some ideas on how to increase the activity in your day. It is all up to you to start moving in the direction of enhancing your health and your life!