Taking that first step

Monday, August 3, 2009 by Kathy Stevens

– to a more active and healthy lifestyle - Part 1


Often the first step is the hardest when it comes to embarking on a new fitness program.  In 2007, only about 31 percent of Americans age 18 or older reported regular leisure-time physical activity (http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=742).
 
National data also indicate that even fewer older persons engage in regular physical activity (http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/activity.htm). This leaves a huge percentage of our national population falling into the sedentary category resulting in a rise in both adult and childhood obesity.  It goes without saying that we need to find a way to motivate the masses to get moving!

I have friends tell me all the time that they don’t have the ‘time’ or ‘energy’ to get fit.  Yet, they will spend endless hours on the computer, watching television or chatting on the phone.  If only they would set aside 30 minutes for moderate cardio exercise, most days of the week.  This will allow them to meet the Surgeon General Activity Guidelines and reap numerous physiological and psychological benefits of exercise.  These benefits include a reduction in life threatening diseases (heart disease, cancer, and diabetes just to name a few). 

It also is a prime weapon in our battle with the bulge and secondary related conditions such as joint degeneration, high blood pressure and chronic fatigue.  It is no wonder that exercise can also reduce stress and depression and improves joint health...wouldn’t you feel a lot better just knowing you were doing something that good for your body? 

Don't wait any longer - start today!
 

Comments for Taking that first step

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 by PJ:
Sounds great and I do walk, occasionally, however, I have flat feet, arthritis in the arch of one foot, & bad knees, so it have difficult to walk for a long length of time. (especially on concrete, etc. wooded paths are great, blacktop is fair) Suggestions??
Wednesday, October 28, 2009 by Kathy Stevens:
Hi PJ Thanks for the question. I understand how hard it is to walk with the pains associated with arthritis, especially if it is related to your feet and knees. With that said, a little can still go along way in keeping your body active. The key is to progress very slowly and use the 2-hour ‘pain rule’. The ‘pain rule’ states that you should evaluate how you feel two hours post your activity and if the pain in the affected areas is worse than what you normally live and deal with, it is an indicator that you have done too much and need to cut back. Here are a few other suggestions: 1. Check with your doctor to see if there is a particular insert or shoe that would be best for your foot condition. 2. Be sure that you replace your shoes on a regular basis (as recommended by your foot doctor) 3. Make the extra effort to seek out those training surfaces that cause the least aggravation to your joints during your walk (i.e. clay or rubber running tracks, hard packed dirt or sand, treadmills) 4. Break your walk up into several 10-minute bouts during the day, verses one longer bout. 5. Circuit train your walk by alternating 3 to 5 minutes of walking with 1 to 2 minutes of a more stationary upper body strength exercise (i.e. bench or tree push ups and dips). 6. And don’t forget to take your glucosamine!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009 by Bert Halloway:
Wellesse glucosamine to stop the knee pain,and a good chance it will stop arthrites pain. I take wellesse glucosamine. I was looking at double knee sugrery. got on wellesse. Now I have no pain and my arthrites does not flare up. Bert

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