Tips for Building an Activity Program
Data from the National Weight Control Registry shows that nearly 90% of successful dieters exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes each day. In fact, the majority of successful dieters found ways to work 60 minutes or more of activity into their daily schedules. Researchers have also found that people who penciled daily exercise periods into their calendars were more likely to reach their activity goals than people who left it up to chance or who had a vague goal of being more active. This first in a 2-part series of articles explores how to gently but steadily get off the couch and get active again. It also discusses the basics of building a 10,000-step a day walking program. The second part of this article will look at ways to develop a biking or swimming program.
If you are trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight but are not routinely physically active, you will need to develop an activity plan. Find at least one but hopefully a few different activities that you enjoy; be sure to carefully consider any physical limitations you may have and choose activities that you can realistically fit into your schedule. As Karen’s story illustrates, even an enjoyable activity won’t work if it does not fit your lifestyle.
Karen believed swimming would be the best activity for her to pursue because she loved to swim when she was a child. But she soon found that driving across town to the aquatic center every morning, completing her workout, and getting ready for work added a lot of stress to her mornings. Not surprisingly, she began missing workouts here and there, and within a month, she was swimming just once or twice each week. Eventually, Karen began walking with coworkers during her lunch hour or after work and swam on weekends as a way to vary her routine. Walking was not her favorite activity, but it fit her schedule and lifestyle. She was also surprised to find how walking with her coworkers made it fun and kept her motivated.
Getting Moving
If you have been a couch potato for six months or more, begin any activity program slowly to condition your muscles and build up your endurance. Unless you have significant joint pain, most people can develop some basic conditioning by starting a two-minute walking program. The goal is to be able to comfortably complete several two-minute walks each day. Finding time to walk is easier than you think. You can walk during TV commercials. Get off the bus or commuter train one stop earlier than usual in the morning and evening and walk the extra block or two to and from work. Get up from your desk and take a short walk around the office or in the hallways every ninety minutes or so. Walk for at least two minutes during each of your breaks and at the beginning and end of your lunch hour.
Walking is the most popular fitness activity. It requires no special skills or equipment other than a comfortable pair of shoes. It is a weight-bearing aerobic activity, so it builds bone strength in addition to improving heart and lung capacity. It can be done anytime and just about anywhere. You can walk in place in your living room or you can hike a wooded mountain trail. However, if you are very heavy or have significant skeletal problems like lower back pain or joint pain, the impact associated with each step may make walking painful and impractical for you in the beginning. Instead, choose a non-impact activity like biking or swimming. A stationary bike for home use is a good investment in your health. You can adapt your two-minute walking plans to a biking plan, but you will obviously need to fit your biking in around your work schedule. Many people have developed a home biking workout by biking during TV commercials until they are fit enough to bike during an entire TV program.
Many overweight people find that they are able to walk comfortably after they lose 15-20 pounds.
Once your doctor has given you clearance to exercise, look over your schedule to identify five times a day when you can fit in two minutes of walking or stationary biking. Pencil these times into your daily calendar to make sure they become part of your usual routine. If you are not physically able to walk or bike for ten minutes each day, do as much as you can each day and gradually add more walking or biking time until you reach your goal of ten minutes per day.
When you are able to comfortably walk or bike for a total of ten minutes each day, it’s time to expand your activity program by spending more time walking or biking each day or adding other types of physical activities like dancing or swimming to your schedule. Performing one or more types of activities each week can help build different muscle groups and has the added advantage of keeping you motivated to work by limiting boredom or burn-out.
A Basic Walking Program
Aim for 30 Minutes a Day at First
If walking is going to be your main activity, add an additional two-minute walk to your daily walking schedule and try to pick up the pace while walking. Keep adding two-minute walks to your daily routine each week until you are walking for a minimum of thirty minutes each day. For convenience and to build better conditioning, combine some of your two-minute walks into longer walking periods. For example, you can take three ten-minute walks or two fifteen-minute walks each day.
As you add minutes to your walking routine, make an effort to increase your pace as well. Most people can cover about two miles, or about 4,000-5,000 steps, while walking briskly for thirty minutes. A total of thirty minutes of walking each day is a good goal during active weight loss and even while transitioning slowly to a weight maintenance diet. However, for people who have been overweight for many years, it is often not enough activity to keep their weight under control in the long term.
Use the speak sing test to set your pace. You should be able to speak comfortably but be too winded to sing.
Strive for 10,000 Steps a Day
Many health experts, including Dr. James Hill, cofounder of the National Weight Control Registry, believe people should strive to walk a total of 10,000 steps each day at a minimum. Doing so can improve people’s ability to control their weight, while lowering their risks of heart disease and diabetes by decreasing their cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar (glucose) levels. The easiest way to determine if you are reaching this goal is to wear a pedometer.
Most modern pedometers are no bigger than an aspirin tin and can be discreetly worn on a belt or other piece of clothing so that you can track your entire day’s activity. Depending on your stride length, 10,000 steps each day equates to 4 or 5 miles of walking. Each mile burns about 100 calories. Every step you take throughout the day counts towards your total, so you will want to wear your pedometer from waking until you sleep at night.
Track your progress by recording your daily step-count in an activity journal. You can buy a paper journal or keep track on scratch paper and enter your daily steps in an online walking journal. Don’t be discouraged by the 10,000 steps goal. If you are walking for 30 minutes each day, you are already taking 4,000-5,000 steps; in other words, you are about halfway to your goal. There is no rush to meet that goal. Build toward the 10,000 step one day at a time, just as you built up to your thirty minutes a day goal, by gradually adding more walking time and steps to your program. Each week, increase your step count by 275 steps (or more if you are up to it) each day. At this rate, it will take about four months to reach your goal, but the time is worth it if you eventually reach that goal. You can speed up your progress toward the 10,000 steps if your stamina permits.
Most Americans walk an average of 2,500-3,000 steps per day. Increasing their step count to 10,000 per day would burn an extra 150 calories and help reduce their blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol levels. Walking more each day also helps reduce stress.