BE ACTIVE, GET FIT AND STAY HEALTHY PART 2

An easy guide to any physical activity

6. Leisure activities are enjoyable too. It makes you burn some calories but is not advised as a principal or main activity if your goal is weight reduction or improvement of cardiovascular endurance.
7. To make leisure activities or strength and flexibility activities effective for health, they have to be done often: at least 2-3 times a week 3—45 minutes or longer.
8. Activities that will burn the least calories should be avoided.
9. You will feel better, look younger, maintain healthy weight & live longer with regular physical activities.
10. No one is too old to enjoy the benefits of regular physical activities.
11. Talk to your doctor if you have any health concerns before starting any physical activity.

BE ACTIVE, GET FIT AND STAY HEALTHY

An easy guide to any physical activity

1. For the beginners the amount of cumulative activity time is more important than the specific type and manner of activity.

2. Everyday physical activity counts. Weaving in more activities into your daily routines make you metabolically efficient. Day to day activities are cheap, convenient, easy-to-do and should be done habitually.

3. To improve your cardiovascular endurance, yo can choose to do aerobic exercises 3-5 times a week at least 30-45 minutes or longer a day. Doing it regularly also helps you lose and/ or prevent weight gain.

4. Recreational activities are not only enjoyable but also healthy. If done regularly it can help you improve your physical fitness level.

5. Strength and flexibility activities are important for muscle toning. It also helps you burn some excess fat if you do it often together with other activities.

What does increasing your activity do for you? - Part 4

Improve your confidence and your mood

Exercise makes you feel good! Each time you are active, you are letting yourself know that you are making positive changes. This improves confidence and gives you a boost that can carry over to your eating plan. In addition, many people exercise to relieve stress. If you are eating to relieve stress, exercise may do the same thing, but will burn rather than add calories.


Correlates with long term success

Exercise is the factor which best predicts who will lose weight and keep it off. If people are followed a year or more after a weight-loss program, those who are exercising tend to be the ones who keep the weight off. Furthermore, those individuals who are physically active on a regular basis typically do better in keeping their weight off than those who simply restrict their calorie intake.

What does increasing your activity do for you? - Part 3

Increases Metabolic Rate

Eating less and losing weight slow down your metabolism. This is bad news because your body then uses less energy (calories) for basic functions at a time when you want to burn more calories. Exercise speeds up the metabolism, although the degree and duration of this increase are subject to debate. Exercising and eating less may help offset this drop in metabolic rate.

What does increasing your activity do for you? - Part 2

Counteracts the problems caused by excess weight

Exercise can help the physical and psychological effects of being overweight. For example it can help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, and improve your carbohydrate metabolism

Preserves the body's muscle

Your body loses both muscle and fat when you lose weight. The aim is to maximize fat loss and minimize muscle loss. Combining exercise with reduced-calorie diet does this more effectively than diet alone.

What does increasing your activity do for you? - Part 1

Burns Calories

This may be its least important benefit as it takes a tremendous amount of exercise to actually lose one pound of weight. For example, you need to walk for 18 hours and 15 minutes with a speed of 4km/hr to lose just 1 lb. Be careful to avoid feeling that a modest amount of exercise entitles yo to a more calories at the table. You must be sure to avoid eating more calories than what your exercise expended.

Tips for Healthy Eating

Eat a variety of foods

Eating a variety of foods, will help you to get the energy, protein, vitmins, minerals, and fiber you need for good health

Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol

Diets that are low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol may reduce your risk of heart attack and certain types of cancer. Fat contains more than twice the calories of an equal amount of carbohydrates or protein, so a diet low in fat can help you maintain a healthy weight.

Choose a diet with plenty of vegetables, fruits and grains

These foods provide the essential vitamins, minerals, fiber and complex carbohydrates. Since these are naturally low in dietary fat, they can help lower your intake of fat.

Use sugars only in moderation

A diet that includes high amounts of sugar has too many calories and may not provide the nutrients your body needs to be healthy. Too much sugar can also contribute to tooth decay.

Use salt in moderation

A diet that is low in sodium can help reduce your risk og high blood pressure.

If your drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation

Alcoholic beverages add calories, but provide little nutrition.