Weight Management
Exercise for Health
Exercise can benefit everyone
Exercise plus nutrition and weight management are the “big three” lifestyle factors affecting health. Modest, regular exercise enables most people to live longer and better. People who have an active lifestyle tend to have more energy for the things they want to do, while also being less likely to become disabled or ill. Recent studies have linked regular physical activity to a reduced likelihood for developing coronary heart disease. Even low- and moderate-intensity exercise such as walking, when carried out consistently, has important cardiovascular health benefits. Exercise provides head-to-toe benefits. A regular activity program can help in all the following ways: • Improved sense of well-being • Less depression and anxiety • Improved lung capacity to use oxygen • Stronger more efficient heart muscle • Slower resting pulse rate • Increased muscle strength • Improved blood supply • Increased mobility and flexibility • Maintains bone strength • Delays development of osteoporosis • Less body fat • More lean body tissue • Lower blood sugar level • Improved reaction time • Better balance • More efficient body cooling • Higher HDL (good) blood cholesterol level • Lower triglyceride level • Improved blood flow • Lower blood pressure A regular exercise program is a must in a weight management program. When losing weight, the exercise program will help maintain muscle tone and muscle mass, and help maintain metabolism rate. Without regular exercise, weight loss immediately causes a drop in the metabolic rate which in turn makes weight loss more difficult.
This chart compares the number of calories used during one hour of various activities.
Activity Sitting quietly Standing quietly Light activity: Cleaning house Office work Playing baseball Playing golf Moderate activity: Walking briskly(3.5 mph) Gardening Cycling (5.5 mph), Dancing Playing basketball Strenuous activity: Jogging (9 min./mile) Playing football Swimming Very strenuous activity: Running (7 min./mile) Racquetball Skiing Calories used per hour1 Man2 100 120 300 Woman2 80 95 240
460
370
730
580
920
740
1 May vary depending on environmental conditions. 2Healthy man, 175 pounds; healthy woman, 140 pounds.
Source: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 3rd edition, 1990.
North Central Regional Extension Publication 453
Sponsored by the Extension Services of Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota in cooperation with ES-USDA. For copies of this publication, contact an Extension unit in one of the sponsoring states.
Reprinted | August 1997
Programs and activities of the Cooperative Extension Service are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, or handicap.
On your mark:
How to start an exercise program
1. Visit your doctor. Review your current health status and discuss your exercise plans. 2. Ask about pre-exercise testing. For example, a treadmill test is recommended for people over age 40. The test checks blood pressure and uses an electrocardiogram to monitor heart performance. A physician or exercise specialist can provide the test. A treadmill test is a must for individuals who have risk factors for coronary artery disease, hypertension or diabetes, shortness of breath or heart irregularity, or who have questions about their ability to exercise. 3. Think about goals Setting short term and long term goals promotes perseverance and can be an effective way to develop and maintain an exercise program. Meeting short term goals, just as in weight loss, encourages you to stick with an active lifestyle. Examples might be achieving your target heart rate each day, or doing your stretching exercises at the end of your workout. Long-term goals may be to walk a certain distance or time, lose a given amount of weight, or increase your flexibility.
Get set:
Exercise tips to remember
1. Wait two hours after eating before exercising. Starting too soon makes your heart work harder. 2. Include warm-up and cool-down stretching exercises before and after physical activity. 3. Wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothes appropriate for the weather. Choose bright colors for safety. 4. Drink cool water before, during, and after exercise. This is especially important during warm weather. Replacing the water lost by sweating is crucial, even though you may not feel thirsty. Overly sweet drinks, tea, coffee, and soft drinks with caffeine or other stimulants should not be given; nor are electrolyte drinks necessary. 5. Consider weather conditions. Avoid outdoor physical activity during extreme conditions. The ideal temperature range for exercising is 40° to 85°F with less than 60 percent humidity. During extremely hot or humid weather, choose an air-conditioned mall or school, or exercise in the early morning or early evening to avoid the sun at its highest and hottest. Also during hot weather, eat light meals that are low in total fat and high in complex carbohydrates (breads and grains, fruits and vegetables). 6. Don’t overdo. You should be recovered from the exercise within 10 minutes. Walk or exercise with a friend to monitor appropriate physical exertion. 7. Check with a doctor immediately if you notice such symptoms as chest pain or pressure, heart irregularity or unusual shortness of breath. These could be related to severe heart or lung conditions. 8. Any type or amount of exercise is better than none. You do not have to be an athlete. Choose an activity that you enjoy. Conversation while walking can be relaxing and comfortable. 9. Don’t get discouraged. It may take 4 to 6 weeks of exercise before you notice any change.
Learn to recognize heat stress
Outdoor activity during hot weather requires regular water breaks. Be alert for these three types of heat reactions.
Heat exhaustion
Body temperature is near normal but the skin feels clammy. The person appears pale and is sweating profusely. Other symptoms include nausea, dizziness, fatigue, weakness, and fainting.
Heat cramps
Symptoms include profuse sweating plus pain and spasms of the leg or stomach muscles.
Heat stroke
Probable when body temperature reaches 104°F and skin is hot, red and dry. At this level the sweating mechanism is blocked and the person may lose consciousness. Immediate medical attention should be sought. People suffering any of these symptoms should be given a cool bath or wiped with cool, wet cloths. If airconditioning is not available, use a water spray bottle or cloths and a fan to provide relief.
Go!
Start with warm-up activities
Spend the first 5 minutes on any of the following exercises to gradually increase your heart rate and to stretch your muscles.
Shoulder stretch:
Arms up, grasp elbows with hands. Keep knees bent slightly. Bend slightly to left as you pull elbows behind head. Hold for 30 seconds. Relax. Repeat, bending right.
Calf stretch: Stand 2 to 3 feet
from a wall, one foot forward and arms against the wall for 10 to 20 seconds. Keep feet parallel and make sure the rear heel stays on floor. Switch legs and repeat.
Arm and shoulder stretch: Stand and lace
fingers above head, palms upward. Push arms up and back. Hold for 30 seconds. Relax.
Thigh stretch: Placing
left hand against a wall for balance, grab right ankle with right hand and pull toward buttocks for 10 seconds. Repeat with other leg.
Chest stretch: Lace fingers
behind back and slowly straighten arms. Hold for 30 seconds. Relax.
Hamstring stretch: Sit in
chair. Place leg on another chair. Keep your back straight. Place hands on leg. Slowly slide hands down leg until you feel a stretch. Hold 30 seconds. Relax. Repeat with other leg.
End with cool down activities
Before calling it quits for the day, spend about 5 minutes doing any of the flexibility stretches suggested for warmup activities. This will help your heart rate and muscles return to normal and also help your flexibility.
Walking is a good choice for all ages
Walking on a regular basis has been shown to • reduce anxiety and tension, • aid in weight loss, • improve cholesterol profile, • slow the process of osteoporosis • help control hypertension, and • increase heart rate, depth of breathing and muscular endurance. Recent physiological studies have demonstrated that brisk walking provides strenuous enough exercise for cardiovascular training in most adults. Unlike running, walking puts little strain on knees and legs. A long-term program of walking may help you live longer. A recent study followed the exercise habits and mortality rates of 17,000 Harvard alumni for more than 12 years. It found that men who walked a lot and were otherwise physically active lived longer. Also, life expectancy improved steadily as exercise increased, starting at 500 calories spent per week, and continuing up to 3,500 calories per week. Exercising more than that was Habit is habit, and not counterproductive. Weekly to be flung out of the exercise included such activiwindow. . .but coaxed ties as walking to the market. Start at a level that is comdownstairs a step fortable; it may be no more at a time. than five minutes at first. Stop —Mark Twain, before you feel exhausted. Pudd’nhead Wilson Work up to 20 to 40 minutes three to four times a week. Walking needs to be done for at least 30 minutes to provide any cardiovascular benefit. A study of women aged 50 to 63 found that a 6-month walking program (2 miles a day, 4 days a week) produced “significant improvements in the cardiovascular and muscular systems” comparable to those produced by an aerobic dance program.
Choose your shoe
For walking, choose a specially designed shoe to accommodate the heel-toe action of walking. Look for • adequate cushioning to absorb the repeated shock from walking, • reinforced heel counter (the back of the shoe cupping the heel) to guide the foot through its roll forward and to prevent it from twisting inward or outward, and • a flexible, curved sole able to bend a full 45 degrees towards the front, not in the middle.
Sources
Mayo Clinic Health Letter, Rochester, MN, June, 1991. Wellness Walking, Health Letter Associates, Berkeley, CA, 1987. “Exercise with Care - Fitness is Not RiskFree,” FDA Consumer, May, 1989.
For more information
These publications are available from county extension offices. Choose a Healthy Weight, NCR 455 Eat for Health, NCR 454 Watch Your Fat Intake, NCR 456 Walking Your Way to Fitness, NCR 262 Wellness in Retirement, NCR 263
Written by Carol Hans, Ph.D., R.D., former Iowa State University extension nutritionist, and Diane Nelson, Iowa State University extension communication specialist. Design by Valerie King.
In cooperation with NCR Educational Materials Project. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Cooperative Extension Services of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Stanley R. Johnson, director, Cooperative Extension Service, Iowa State University of Science and Technology, Ames, Iowa 50011. File: FN-3