| "make
exercise a permanent part of your life" |
|
Exercise
Exercise plays an increasingly important role in weight management and
overall fitness for people of all ages. The revised Dietary Guidelines for
Americans emphasizes the importance of physical activity for both weight
control and health. Weight maintenance rather than weight loss should be
the primary focus.
The Guidelines encourage people to increase physical activity and
reduce sedentary activity in order to maintain or lose weight,
recommending a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate to intense physical
exercise every day. They also recognize the link between weight gain and
health risks (i.e. premature death) for adults. And they acknowledge that
the distribution of fat in the body affects the risks associated with
obesity, identifying exercise as one of the few factors that reduces
central body fat.
Planning an exercise program should be based on personal goals as well
as on individual capabilities. The most important element is to think
long-term and make exercise a permanent part of your life.
Moderately Intense Activities:
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Brisk Walking (3-4 mph) |
| -- |
Cycling (10 mph) |
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Swimming or calisthenics |
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Racket sports or table tennis |
| -- |
Golf (without cart) |
| -- |
Housecleaning, general* |
| -- |
Raking leaves* |
|
Dancing* |
| -- |
Playing actively with children* |
| -- |
*Considered moderate only if they are
performed at an intensity comparable to brisk walking. (Source:
Journal of the American Medical Association 273:402:1995.) |
|
| "make
healthy combinations in meals" |
 |
Eating Healthy
For most people, maintaining a desirable weight and body fat percentage
can only be achieved through an integrated program of nutrition and
exercise--or balancing energy intake with energy expenditure. To reduce
weight and body fat requires cutting back on calories and increasing the
amount of exercise. Dieting alone won't work. Even when a person's
weight-control system has genetic flaws and one of the new diet drugs is
prescribed, proper nutrition and plenty of exercise is still part of the
prescription for health.
Food Pyramid
Most Americans have more than enough to eat, but many people don't eat a
healthy range of foods. Consuming too many calories from any kind of food
source can produce fat. One of the best models for healthy eating is
represented in the Food Pyramid.
To get the proper daily nutritional value:
| -- |
Eat a variety of foods |
| -- |
Eat a high-fiber diet (choose more grains, fruits and vegetables
instead of protein, fats and sugar) |
| -- |
Maintain a low-fat, low-cholesteral
diet (eat no more than 30% of calories from fat, including only
10% from saturated fat) |
| -- |
Use moderate amounts of salt and sodium and choose sugar
substitutes |
| -- |
Limit alcoholic intake |
Breaking Old Habits
Often the first step to a good diet lies in changing food and eating
behavior:
| -- |
Don't skip meals |
| -- |
Eat a series of small meals throughout the day and avoid a big
meal late in the evening |
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Eat and chew slowly |
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Use a smaller-sized plate to achieve a "full plate" |
| -- |
Don't go back for seconds |
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Bake or broil food instead of frying |
| -- |
Order from light menus and purchase low-calorie or low-fat foods
(remember that low-fat does not necessarily mean low-calorie) |
| -- |
Learn about food values and make healthy combinations in meals |
| -- |
Weigh yourself regularly and focus on measuring body fat
percentage |
| -- |
Reward yourself with non-food pleasures |
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