All
you need is 30 minutes of exercise a day (e.g. a walk) to gain significant
benefits. It not only helps to prevent heart disease and mild memory loss, it
can also improve depression. For those with chronic conditions, it’s one of the best
things you can do to increase well being and overall health.
The
good news is that you don’t even need to do 30 minutes all at once-10 minutes
here and there throughout the day adds up quickly. Even better, keep moving all
day. Make “mindless exercise” part of your daily life.
Most
of the year, I have no problem walking, gardening, going to the gym, or
whatever else. In mid February, it’s a different story.
There
are at least two feet of snow on the ground, more is falling and the temps are
in the single digits. I came close to breaking a leg walking to the post office
this morning. Normally a 5-10 minute walk, it took 15-20 minutes because the
sidewalk hadn’t been shoveled. Since my kitchen scraps were long over due for
the compost pile, it took another 20 minutes or so to shovel a path to take
care of that chore. In short order, I had 40 minutes of fairly vigorous
exercise without much thought. That noted, there are those days that the
thought of going outside in sub zero temperatures is enough to keep me on the
couch with a warm blanket and a good book.
So
what do to? As with any exercise program, do what you can, keeping in mind that
“pain is no gain.” There are a variety of options listed below. Do what feels right for you. Check with your medical
provider before starting an exercise regiment.
• Power Down: Make time in your day
when cell phones, computers, TV and other electronic devices are turned off.
Without the virtual distraction, you’re more likely to do something.
• Mindless
exercise:
If you stay active around the house, you are continually burning calories and
thereby don’t need to force yourself to go to the gym or take a walk. With due
respect to the mindfulness gurus, the "mindless" referred to here is movement that
becomes such a part of your day, you don’t have to think about exercising.
One
hour of each burns the following calories: shoveling snow (576); mowing the
lawn-using a manual or push mower (400); raking leaves (384); Painting (290);
Gardening (250); Sweeping/mopping (240); or cooking a meal (150). Fit Day has a
list of 30-minute chores- e.g. 30 minutes of car washing burns 143 calories.
• Soup Can Exercises: You don’t need fancy weights to strength train.
• Tai
Chi/Qigong/Yoga:
If you can’t afford to take a class, check out these links:
- * Kripalu Yoga Break:
Need a quick pick me up, take a five minute yoga break with the teachers from
the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health.
• Dancing: Put your favorite
music on and dance around the house by yourself or with a partner. There are a
lot of free videos for line dancing. If you are a beginner, try Basic Line Dance Steps for Beginners.
• Zumba: The Latin/Dance
exercise program will have you moving in no time. Try Latin Dance Fitness-Beginners 1 to see if you like it.
• Remember TaeBo? Check it out to see if
it’s something that interests you-Advanced Exercise to Lose Weight
• 5of the Best Exercises You Can Do from Harvard Health Publications
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