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 Last week I started reading Michael Pollan’s bestselling book, In Defense of Food. Within the first few pages he sums up all he has learned regarding healthy eating with the following words: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. The simplicity of the message struck me, and I began to consider an equally simple yet effective prescription for exercise and fitness.
So here it goes: Move daily (30 minutes of exercise). Break as sweat (sustained increased heart rate). Respect your body (honor the gift of health).
Over the last 25 years, the information about what we should and shouldn’t eat and how much we should exercise has multiplied exponentially, become more complicated, and is often contradictory. The 80’s low fat, high impact (remember doing step classes with 5 risers?!?!) craze left us fatter with achy knees. But some of today’s health and fitness claims may prove to be just as empty.
Here are a few ways we can avoid the hype and get back to basics when it comes to our health and fitness:
Eating
Pollan’s advice is simple and direct:
Eat less food. Eat slowly. Cook meals from scratch. Avoid products that make health claims. Buy local, organic produce from farmers markets. Eat wild fish and wild game. Eat less food.
Exercise
Recommendations from the American Heart Association and The American College of Sports Medicine can be synthesized for simplicity:
- Do moderately intense cardio 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
- Or, do vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week.
- Do 8-10 strength-training exercises, 8-12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week
Moderate-intensity physical activity means working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break a sweat, yet still being able to carry on a conversation. It should be noted that to lose weight or maintain weight loss, 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity might be necessary. The 30-minute recommendation is for the average healthy adult to maintain health and reduce the risk for chronic disease.
Strategies for following the recommendations are needed to realize our goals. With busy work schedules, family obligations, and packed weekends, it can often be difficult to get the recommended amount of physical activity.
Try these tips for incorporating exercise into your life:
Exercise in short bouts. Research shows that moderate-intensity physical activity can be accumulated throughout the day in 10-minute bouts, which can be just as effective as exercising for 30 minutes straight. This can be useful when trying to fit physical activity into a busy schedule.
Mix it up. Combinations of moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity can be used to meet the guidelines. For example, you can walk briskly for 30 minutes twice per week and jog at a higher intensity on two other days.
Set your schedule. Maybe it’s easier for you to walk during your lunch hour, or perhaps hitting the pavement right after dinner is best for you. The key is to set aside specific days and times for exercise, making it just as much a regular part of your schedule as everything else.
The gym is not your only option. It doesn’t take an expensive gym membership to get the daily-recommended amount of physical activity. A pair of athletic shoes and a little motivation is all you need to live a more active, healthier life.
Make it a family affair. Take your spouse, your children, or a friend with you during exercise to add some fun to your routine. This is also a good way to encourage your kids to be physically active and get them committed early to a lifetime of health.
Simple is effective with eating healthy and can be effective with incorporating exercise and fitness into your lifestyle.
For the next thirty days, ask your self at the end of the each day if you moved in the form of exercise, if you broke a sweat, and if you honored the beautiful gift or your body!
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Ashley Marriott has been a professional in the field of fitness for more than 14 years. She is the creator of Burn ‘N Firm, a popular DVD full body cardio dance workout series. She is dedicated to using her experience and energy to educate and encourage people to reach their fitness goals. Her dedication to empower others through fitness led her to write the book, Dump Your Trainer.
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