PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Physical Activity...With Purpose! Nutritional Tips for Optimal Health

by

Dr. Kristine Clark, RD Director of Sports Nutrition, Pennsylvania State University

More exercise means more movement.

One of today's most important messages for combating the growing American waistline is "Move More!!" For many people, moving more simply means moving off the couch, walking to the refrigerator and then back to the couch. For others, it means getting off the couch and walking fifteen minutes in one direction, fifteen minutes in another direction, THEN back to the couch. More movement really means adding purposeful physical activity to your day as opposed to moving just to accomplish a brief task, like getting food from the fridge.

Purposeful physical activity is exercise designed to help you lose weight or improve your fitness level. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends 30 or more minutes of purposeful activity five to seven days per week for weight management. That may sound like a lot, but 30 minutes 5 days a week could successfully put a dent in the number you're reading on your scale. A 30 minute walk, bike ride, or jog (slower paced running) will elevate your heart rate, increasing your metabolism. A higher metabolism means more calories burned even at rest! In addition, 30 minutes or more of purposeful physical activity strengthens the cardiac muscle, or heart. Stronger hearts are more resistant to heart attacks than weak hearts! Finally, purposeful physical activity helps build muscle in arms, legs, your back, torso, and abdominal area. More muscle also increases resting metabolism and makes you look leaner! You'll look like you've lost more weight than you actually have. All of this adds up over time, but there is no better time to start moving more than right now!

The rising rate of obesity in the United States - up from about 15% of adults twenty years ago to 27% today - poses serious health risk. Being overweight can influence diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancers, and high blood pressure, to name a few. All of these chronic diseases can be positively altered through purposeful physical activity.

If you're inactive now, check with your physician before starting an exercise program as a precautionary plan. Check out your local YM or YWCA for a wide variety of organized purposeful physical activity options. But remember, there is no cheaper, easier, stress-free form of exercise than walking. Find a partner, set a time each day, and stick to it. The results will amaze you and your body will thank you.