By CONNIE ARONSON
The term "just do it" was good. It got us thinking about, well, just doing it, becoming more active and feeling better because we were exercising and moving. Unfortunately, 60 percent of adults in the United States just might not have really paid much attention to the famous slogan, are not exercising, and as a result of a sedentary lifestyle, are losing many of the health benefits that come with being more active.
Researchers (and certified trainers and physical therapists) Reed Humphrey, Steven Tepper and Mark Baughman recently created a clear and simple message to drill home to everyone in how to put daily exercise back into our day. In order to change our current chronic disease crisis in this country, we need 30 minutes of daily moderate to vigorous exercise.
The American Heart Association, the Surgeon General, and the American College of Sports Medicine support the research, as the outcomes all lead to better health, weight loss, and protection from cardiovascular disease. The benefits are compelling. If everyone walked for 30 minutes at 3 miles per hour to 4 mph, the number of cardiovascular deaths would decrease per year by 30 percent. If everyone walked more than 3 mph five days a week, the risk of stroke lowers by 46 percent compared to non-exercisers. Resting blood pressure reduces, your mood is elevated, and bone health improves.
Muscle fibers respond to all aerobic activity, like swimming and walking, by increasing in size. The changes give you greater endurance, strength and resistance to fatigue. Your overall metabolism and neuromuscular coordination improve as well as the strength of your skeleton. Oxygen and nutrients are pumped more efficiently to all your body tissues with exercise and your heart, a great big pump, gets bigger. Its job of clearing fatty deposits from blood vessel walls also improves.
Many of us complain we have no time, or where does the time go, but in reality, you do have time: you do have 30 minutes. Break it up into two 15-minute sessions if you are really pressed. We are blessed in this valley with four great gyms, home equipment and various trails. So choose an activity that you enjoy doing, whether indoors or out in nature. I have hiked Lower River Run and Proctor Mountain hundreds of times and am always rewarded with beautiful sunrises, sunsets and alpine vistas. Pick the best time for your schedule and allot that time every day for yourself. Exercising is a great time to think, or not think, and unclutter your mind. Check out www.choosetomove.org for a 12-week program.
The core of any cardiovascular health program is a 30-minute commitment every day, and increases more for your specific health, or sport performance goals. Remember, change takes time, and you didn't just get out of shape overnight. You will make progress bit by bit. Enjoy the feeling of moving, whatever your new exercise routine is. Think, especially with the holidays coming, that you do have 30 minutes to do something for yourself.
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Connie Aronson is American College of Sports Medicine certified, ACE Gold certified, and an IDEA Elite personal trainer. She works out of High Altitude Fitness and the YMCA in Ketchum.
