We’ve been talking about the various building blocks of health including whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean, high-quality protein. In addition to a healthy, balanced diet, regular movement is vital to health promotion and disease prevention.It’s not just a matter of taking a walk. That’s a great place to start, but your body craves a little bit more attention. Let's start with why it's a good idea to exercise.Why Exercise?The benefits of exercise far outweigh being sedentary. For starters, exercise helps reduce risk of heart disease by reducing homocysteine -- a byproduct of protein metabolism that, when elevated, is linked with heart disease and stroke. ²Regular exercise (especially resistance training) improves glucose levels in those with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. ³Aerobic and resistance training exercise also aid in weight management and is one of the best ways to prevent weight gain as we age. Muscle is more metabolic at rest, so the more you have, the better your body handles calories. ⁴Regular exercise also improves self-esteem and mood and helps regulate sleep cycles. ⁵Now let's explore different ways to exercise! Aerobic:Back in the day, Jane Fonda was the queen of aerobic exercise. Headbands and leg warmers were all the rage. Aerobic exercise is also known as cardiorespiratory exercise or simply “cardio”. During aerobic exercise, your body is using more oxygen, which increases heart rate and pumps oxygen to all the tissues of your body.Aerobic exercise includes walking, biking, jogging, rowing, hiking, dancing and gardening, to name a few. More intense aerobic exercise may include running, playing tennis, jumping rope, or swimming laps.The American Heart Association advises a minimum of 150 minutes of aerobic exercise each week or roughly 5, 30-minute bouts per week. Ideally, cardio exercise should be sustained for at least 20 minutes and the intensity may vary. You should be able to carry a conversation during aerobic exercise, but may be a bit winded. ¹Strength Training:Strength training is also known as resistance training and is meant to build muscle. While most people think of weight lifting as strength training, other methods can improve strength such as nautilus machines or using your own weight to create resistance (such as doing a plank) or “sitting on a wall.”Strength training should be done at least twice per week for 20 to 30 minutes. This can be done at home using free weights, a medicine ball, resistance bands or your own weight. It may also be performed at a gym or other fitness center. ¹Stretching:Don’t just think of yoga when you think of stretching. Yes, yoga is lovely, and there are lots of ways to stretch. Stretching is important to improve balance and flexibility and stretch your muscles. Stretching warms your muscles up for a work out and helps cool them down at the end.Stretching should be done in 3- to 5-minute bouts and is beneficial after endurance exercise such as a long run or bike ride. Stretch slowly and smoothly, and not in a bouncy or jerky motion. Stretching can be a great stress reliever and break from a sedentary job. ¹How can you help your clients get active? Here are some simple tips:

• Add it to the schedule. Scheduled exercise is exercise that gets DONE.
• Set an alarm to get up and stretch or walk for at least 5 minutes for every 60 minutes of sitting. Research shows that sedentary behavior is one of the biggest risk factors for heart disease.
• Have your audience invest in a few hand weights and look up a few exercises on youtube.com or other fitness channels.
• Encourage a 15 minute daily walk after lunch or dinner. This aids in digestion and also lower post-prandial blood sugar.
• Have them team up! Suggest that your clients ask a neighbor, relative, friend, or co-worker to join them in a fitness class. Accountability may keep them motivated (and fitness is more fun with a friend).

By Lisa Andrews, MEd, RD, LDPrintable Handout:References:

1. 1. American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults and Kids | American Heart Association
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