Get Physical: Exercise Regularly

As well as eating a well-balanced diet, it's important you take the right amount of exercise too.

More and more of us lead fairly sedentary lives. Fewer of us have manual jobs, we travel everywhere by car, bus or train and spend lots of time in front of the TV or computer.

That's why including some kind of regular exercise is so important. It preserves muscle tissue, helps you maintain a healthy weight and body fat level and reduces the risk of long-term ill health.

The benefits of regular exercise include:

• Major reduction in the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and osteoporosis (brittle bone disease)
• Increased stamina
• Better posture
• Higher energy levels
• Stronger, more toned muscles
• Better shape and appearance
• More self-confidence 

Start Gradually...

Try to cut down on the amount of time you spend on sedentary activities. Look for ways to increase your daily activity level.

You could:

• Get out of your chair whenever you can at home and work. Why not make a point of standing up when you're on the phone?
• Take the stairs instead of the lift. Park on the other side of the car park rather than next to the shops/stairs. Walk to the local post box, newsagent or cinema.
• Treat housework or DIY as an aerobic workout by turning on some music and getting stuck in.

Eventually you should aim to incorporate at least 20 to 30 minutes of a specific exercise on most days of the week. Plan activities you enjoy and which fit easily into your lifestyle. It might be walking, swimming, gardening, dancing, skipping or low impact aerobics. Try a variety of exercises - you'll find it more interesting.

Calorie Jump Skipping Rope	PD-637N Pedometer

Ready For More?

Think about joining a gym or at least trying some resistance training to increase muscle strength and tone.

Resistance or strength training involves working the muscles to make them stronger. Exercises like weight lifting, sit-ups and toning classes may not burn excess fat directly, but they enable muscles to work more efficiently. They also help rebuild lost muscle and strengthen bones, ligaments and tendons.

You should also carry out regular cardiovascular activities like cycling, jogging or skipping. These are designed to get your heart pumping and will also help improve your co-ordination, endurance and stamina, as well as tone muscle.

Exercise videos are an excellent way to keep fit at home, with many combining an aerobic workout with strength training, giving your body a full and thorough workout.


How Dieting and Exercise Affects Your Body Fat Reading

It is important that you combine sensible eating with physical activity if you want to lose weight and reduce your body fat level.

Quick fix, fad diets, that promise dramatic weight loss, do not work in the long term. Yes you may lose weight quickly in the beginning, but once you stop following the diet (which is almost certain) you will simply put this weight back on and probably more!

The dramatic weight loss is due to the fact that you are losing body water, not body fat. Your body uses up the easiest available energy sources first, which are the carbohydrate stores (glycogen) in the muscles. As water is stored with the glycogen, this means you could lose several pounds in water alone.

Once all the glycogen has gone, then your body uses the protein found in the muscles, leading to loss of muscle mass. Your metabolism slows down, meaning you need less and less calories in order for your body to function. To continue losing weight you need to eat even fewer calories.

When you return to your normal eating habits, your slower metabolism will store the extra calories it doesn't need as fat, meaning you regain the weight lost. Your body fat percentage reading will also go up, putting you at greater risk of health problems.

By following a sensible long-term healthy eating plan, combined with regular exercise, then you should see your body fat percentage readings decline at a slow, steady rate, along with your weight.

When you begin a new exercise routine, particularly if it includes resistance or strength training, do not be alarmed if your weight increases slightly. This is because you are building muscle tissue, which is denser than fat. But by regularly monitoring your body fat level with a Body Fat Monitor, then you will see your body fat percentage decrease over time.

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