Health

Living Well: Improving Fitness From Indiana University

Bloomington, Ind. (AScribe Newswire) -- Keys
to a successful fitness plan.

Make it fun and purposeful. Just as the fabled turtle
outran the hare, consistent people reap the health benefits
of regular physical fitness efforts, said Indiana University
Bloomington fitness expert Carol Kennedy.

How should a newly converted fitness enthusiast begin? How about 10,000 steps a day? Not necessary, Kennedy said.

Twenty or 30 minutes of continuous, rigorous exercise? Take a break -- or two or three, she said.

The bottom line with any exercise program
is that it needs to be fun, have a reasonable timetable and
produce an enhanced quality of life. These are things that
help make it a lifestyle habit, not just a New Year's
resolution, she said."

If you begin a rigorous fitness program and you crash and burn, it's like yo-yo dieting. It doesn't work," said Kennedy, a lecturer in IUB's Department of Kinesiology in the School of Health, Physical Education
and Recreation." It's about making a behavioral change in
your life. It doesn't happen overnight.

It starts with making it fun and purposeful." Home videos, swimming,
walking, cardio machines -- Kennedy said it doesn't matter
what fitness enthusiasts choose, as long as it's something
they enjoy and will continue doing. Here are some tips to
try and fallacies to avoid on the journey to fitness:

The health benefits of exercise can be experienced with
20-60 minutes of continuous or non-continuous exercise,
according to the American College of Sports Medicine. This
debunks the notion that these benefits, such as a reduced
risk of heart disease or lower levels of sugar in the blood,
only come with continuous exercise. Exercise can occur in
chunks throughout the workout or throughout the day, Kennedy
said.

"Why don't we look at the gym like it's a playground?"she
said." Who spends the whole time on the slide? Why not spend
10 minutes on the elliptical cardio machine, go get a drink
of water, talk to a friend and then return for another 10
minutes. Make it an enjoyable experience. Think of your
fitness experience as you once thought of a playground as a
kid."

Goals are important and can help define a workout. Weight
goals, however, are not always productive. Exercising,
Kennedy said, does not guarantee weight loss. She said goals
should relate to quality of life. Fitness goals for some
people might involve being able to play on the floor with
their grandchildren without experiencing back pain, for
example. For other people, their goal could be climbing the
steps to their office or apartment without huffing and
puffing. These kinds of goals can bring about great
self-esteem once accomplished, in addition to improving
one's health. They can propel people to set further goals
and to see their exercise program as important to their
lives, Kennedy said.

The U.S. Surgeon General recommends 30 minutes of exercise
on most days, Kennedy said. Some people accomplish this
simply with an active lifestyle. They park a little farther
from their office, walk to work instead of driving, or walk
to lunch instead of ordering out.

Kennedy is a big fan of pedometers, but she said walkers
receive substantial health benefits from 6,000 steps a day,
rather than 10,000 steps a day, as commonly discussed. She
said the amount of decline in the mortality rate is
significantly less between 6,000 steps and 10,000 steps.

Exercising with a buddy helps people stick with their
plans.

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