some leaves and do a bit of vigorous house or yard work for ten minutes before dinner and... you ' ve done it!( See also " Transforming Your Inner Couch Potato " on page 290).
Another way to organize your exercise is to count the calories you burn( you know I ' m not going to ask you to count the calories you consume!) According to renowned researcher and founder of the College Alumni Health Study Ralph Paffenbarger in his book LifeFit: An Effective Exercise Program for Optimal Health and a Longer Life, you should expend 1,500 to 2,000 calories per week for the greatest health benefit. Check the calorie expenditure tables on pages 298-300 and draw up your plan.
An important note: The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that you include weight-bearing exercise in your workouts two to three( non-consecutive) days a week. It ' s recommended that you do one set each of eight to twelve exercises that address most of the major muscles in the body. The correct amount of resistance for you is that which will cause fatigue at eight to twelve repetitions. Once you can do twelve reps, step up the amount of resistance. If you don ' t have access to a gym, you can use inexpensive, lightweight dumbbells or resistance bands. If you go this route, get yourself a book or video that shows proper form for exercising with free weights( or bands), so you don ' t injure yourself and get the most out of your workout.
Two Kinds of Exercise
The best exercise programs combine aerobic and anaerobic activity.
• Aerobic exercise is any activity that increases your heart rate and causes you to consume more oxygen. Every cell in your body requires a constant supply of oxygen, and if you ' ve been a couch potato for years, many of those cells are being deprived. This is why I can assure you: Once you accustom yourself to a regular routine of aerobic exercise, you will begin to feel better than you did before.
If it ' s been a long time since you did any vigorous activity, I urge you to get some professional advice, from both your doctor and a certified fitness expert. It ' s important that you start slowly and learn how to stretch, warm up and cool down in order to avoid injury. You also may want to try an exercise trampoline. This is a gentle way to increase the stress on your bones and send a signal to the vertebrae to lay down more calcium along the stress-bearing planes.
Exercise such as walking, golf, doubles tennis, horseback riding, ping-pong and dancing may only mildly increase the pumping action of your heart, but they are still tremendous improvements for a former nonexerciser. If you fall into that category, walking is the best way to begin. I know many of my readers are people who haven ' t walked more than two blocks in years. These are the individuals who will notice the greatest change in how they feel. Walk five blocks. Then try six. If it ' s hard on you today, take comfort in the certainty that the stiffness will ease, your breathing will improve and relaxing endorphins will be released into your body. And before you know it, you ' ll be walking a mile. Moving can and will feel good-it ' s actually what your body was built to do and wants! Remember, Mother Nature did not design us for our sedentary modern lifestyle.
182