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Tips for
New Year Dieters and Exercisers
AUBURN, JAN. 5, 2001---Fitness
centers and weight-loss businesses love January. Why? Because
millions of Americans, resolving to conquer their weight and eating
problems, flock to these businesses for help or fast-fixes. Many
businesses even offer special "sign up" deals to entice
people to join.
Unfortunately, few
people are successful. There are no fast fixes. Most burn out on
exercise the first couple of weeks because they try to do too much
too fast, get real sore, or in some cases, injure themselves.
It's the same with
diets. Some people drastically cut their diets and after a few weeks
of eating "selected diet foods," they feel deprived and go
back to old eating habits.
Many people fail to lose
weight or tone up because they have erroneous perceptions of what
exercise is. Some see exercise as a complicated routine dominated by
a lot of "shoulds" -- "you should be in pain to
benefit," "you should exercise an hour a day to reap any
health benefits," you should wear special clothes," or you
should do certain exercises or take part in certain sports."
These false perceptions
have prompted an epidemic of inactivity even though health benefits
result from a variety of physical activities, says Dr. Bob Keith,
Extension nutrition specialist with the Alabama Cooperative
Extension System.
Health officials now
emphasize a more moderate approach to exercise. They encourage
people to simply move about more. Exercise can include all sorts of
physical activities such as dancing, gardening or other yard work,
biking, skating, walking, house cleaning and even manual labor.
"Think of physical
activity as a part of your daily routines rather than thinking you
have to make a radical lifestyle change to exercise," says
Keith.
Also don't overdo. Start
slow and pace yourself. Let your body adjust to a new physical
activity before pushing it further.
Americans can obtain
health benefits simply by accumulating 30 minutes of
moderate-intensity physical activity over the course of a day, says
Keith. "It's not an all-or-nothing matter as many may think.
It's not necessary to jog or work out on a step machine or treadmill
for 30 minutes non-stop. Taking the stairs at work instead of using
the elevator, walking down a long hall several times a day or
walking to work can count as beneficial physical activity."
Studies have shown that
the greatest decline in mortality and morbidity occurs among
sedentary people who begin to exercise moderately rather than in
active people who become more active. People who are not regular
exercisers should always check with their physicians before
undertaking more physical activity.
In reality, despite
warnings from physicians, nutritionists and fitness experts, more
and more American adults and children are overweight. Physicians and
nutritionists warn that obesity increases the risk of high blood
pressure, diabetes and even some forms of cancer and yet, Americans
continue to eat too much and exercise less. About 58 million
Americans are obese.
If you're serious about
attaining some weight loss goals this New Year, make some subtle
changes in your eating habits, such as cut back on the amount of fat
you eat and increase your physical activity each day. There are no
shortcuts. The only way to step off the diet treadmill is to find a
weight-loss program that helps you adopt a healthy eating and
exercise plan so simple it becomes a way of life.
SOURCE: DR. BOB KEITH, (rkeith@aces.edu),
Extension Nutritionist, Alabama Cooperative Extension System (343)
844-3273
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