EXERCISE AND NUTRITION

You have all heard the saying, “you can’t outrun your fork” and “health is 80% nutrition, 20% exercise.  These sayings are true!  You can exercise 2 hours per day and not lose weight if you aren’t eating the right foods.  So why do you need to exercise?  Exercise plays a key role in improving your overall health.  It is beneficial in cardiovascular health, stress management, and the weight maintenance stage of weight management.  Exercise has so many benefits that we can’t ignore it.

I encourage my clients to find an exercise routine that they enjoy.  You shouldn’t dread your workouts!  You may prefer exercising at home, in a gym, in a class setting- it doesn’t matter where you do it as long as you enjoy it!

I hear all too often, “I have no time to exercise.”  There is ALWAYS time for exercise.  If you can’t get a full workout in all at once, break it up!  Go for a 10 minute walk in the morning, 10 minutes at lunch, and 10 minutes at dinner.

Not only is exercise important, but your level of physical activity is just as important.  Physical activity is anything that gets you moving.  If you sit for prolonged periods of time at work get up and move around for a few minutes; take a lap around the building; take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Get moving!  Every step counts!  Try using a pedometer or fitbit and set goals for yourself.

WORK WITH ME:

• Individual personal training sessions in person or virtually
  • $75.00 for one session
  • $250.00 for four sessions
• Individual PiYo sessions in any setting
  • $75.00 for one session
  • $250.00 for four sessions

*Send me an email for information on the live class I teach.

WHAT IS PIYO?

PiYo is a low impact but moderate to high intensity workout.  It is made up of yoga and pilates moves, but the workout is dynamic and performed to music.  PiYo is beneficial in improving your balance, strength, and flexibility.  You use your own body weight for resistance- no weights required.  I highly recommend checking it out because it is fun and you will see awesome results.  Email me for further information.

According to the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, you need to do two types of physical activity each week to improve your health–aerobic and muscle-strengthening.

For Important Health Benefits

Adults need at least:

• 2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., brisk walking) every week and
• muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).
• 1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes) of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., jogging or running) every week and
• muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).
• An equivalent mix of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity and
• muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

10 minutes at a time is fine

We know 150 minutes each week sounds like a lot of time, but it’s not. That’s 2 hours and 30 minutes, about the same amount of time you might spend watching a movie. The good news is that you can spread your activity out during the week, so you don’t have to do it all at once. You can even break it up into smaller chunks of time during the day. It’s about what works best for you, as long as you’re doing physical activity at a moderate or vigorous effort for at least 10 minutes at a time.

For Even Greater Health Benefits

Older adults should increase their activity to:

• 5 hours (300 minutes) each week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and
• muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).
• 2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) each week of vigrous-intensity aerobic activity and
• muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).
• an equivalent mix of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity and
• muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

More time equals more health benefits

• If you go beyond 300 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity, or 150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity activity, you’ll gain even more health benefits.

Build Up Over Time 

If you want to do more vigorous-level activities, slowly replace those that take moderate effort like brisk walking, with more vigorous activities like jogging.

You can do moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or a mix of the two each week. A rule of thumb is that 1 minute of vigorous-intensity activity is about the same as 2 minutes of moderate-intensity activity.

Some people like to do vigorous types of activity because it gives them about the same health benefits in half the time. If you haven’t been very active lately, increase your activity level slowly. You need to feel comfortable doing moderate-intensity activities before you move on to more vigorous ones. The guidelines are about doing physical activity that is right for you (information for cdc.gov).