Enhancing Your Health Through Physical Activity

2. What Can Physical Activity Do For You? • Gives you more energy • Improves your mood • Reduces body fat and firms muscles • Lowers body weight • Reduces stress, anxiety and depression • Lowers risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure

3. How Active Should You Be? Accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week • Moderate activity can include daily activities like walking briskly, bicycling and house cleaning or working out at the gym • You can split your activities into three 10-minute segments

4. Plan Activity into Your Schedule • Set realistic goals • Begin slowly • Write specific activities on your calendar or appointment book 7:00am Walk dog 10:00am Walk 10 minutes during break 12:00pm Walk 15 minutes after lunch 7:30pm Vacuum downstairs for 15 minutes

5. How Can You Become More Fit? • Increase everyday activities • Begin a structured exercise program

6. Increasing Everyday Activities Choose to be more active: • at home • at work • during leisure time

7. Be More Active at Home • Walk your dog • Make several trip up and down stairs throughout the day • Take activity breaks during TV commercials

8. Be More Active at Home • Do your own house cleaning, lawn maintenance, gardening • Walk briskly around your neighborhood

9. Be More Active at Work • Park your car at the far end of the parking lot and walk for 10 minutes • Take the stairs instead of the elevator • Get up from computer to walk every 30-60 minutes

10. Be More Active at Work • Take a 10-15 minute walking break at lunch and coffee breaks • Park and walk inside restaurants instead of using drive-through

11. Be More Active During Leisure TimeGet your family involved in physical rather than sedentary activities: • Plan activities like hiking, bicycling, dancing • Visit museums and the zoo • Join a walking club in your area • Take up tennis or golf

12. Be More Active During Leisure Time • Take classes in dance, yoga, tai chi, or water aerobics • Play games like soccer, volleyball, or badminton with the entire family

13. Starting an Exercise Program A good exercise program includes: • Stretching • To improve flexibility and prevent injury • Endurance • To improve fitness of your heart and lungs, lower risk of heart and other chronic diseases • Strength training • To strengthen muscles and increase endurance

14. Types of Activities Choose moderate-intensity activities that: • You will enjoy • You can do all year round Include a variety of activities to prevent boredom and help prevent injury

15. Moderate-Intensity Activities • Brisk walking • Usually convenient for most people • Indoor facilities available in many areas • Swimming • If indoor pool is unavailable, have alternative activity for cold weather • Stationary bike • Dancing

16. Exercise Sessions Each exercise session should include: • Warm-up • Work-out • Cool-down

17. Warm-up • Begin activity at slow pace for 5-10 minutes • Warms up muscles and joints • Helps prevent injury to muscles

18. Work-Out • Work toward doing a moderate-intensity activity for at least 30 minutes most days of the week • Perform at an intensity that is challenging, but not too strenuous • Take the talk test - you should be able to talk while exercising

19. Measuring Heart Rate • Determine your target heart range. • Test your pulse at your wrist or neck for 10 seconds immediately after you stop exercising. • Multiply this number by 6 to determine if your heart rate during exercise is in your target range.

20. Cool-Down • Gradually slow the pace of your activity for the last 5-10 minutes • Gradually brings heart rate back to normal • Always finish with stretching • Keeps you flexible • Prevents injuries

21. Strengthen Muscles Include muscle-strengthening exercises twice per week to: • Improve balance • Reduce risk of osteoporosis • Improve flexibility • Tone muscles • Prevent muscle loss