Think of physical activity as an opportunity not as an inconvenience.
Be active every day - in as many ways as you can.
Increasing your level of physical activity does not have to mean getting
breathless and sore or hot and sweaty!! All activity that you do during
the day adds up, you don’t have to do it all at once.
The trick for increasing your activity for the long term is to start
slow and build up over time AND NOT TO over do it on day one and injure
yourself or give up because it is too hard!
As a starting point any additional activity that you can do is beneficial.
This additional activity could be incidental activity such as:
Doing extra jobs around the house that you normally wouldn’t do yourself (or that you tend to put off until another time) for example painting, spring cleaning or gardening
Taking the stairs just once more than you did yesterday
Changing the TV channels by hand rather than using a remote control
Walking instead of driving or parking away from your destination and walking the extra distance there and back
(even fidgeting while you watch TV is better than doing nothing at all)
Or the additional activity could be more structured or planned such as
Walking
Going to the gym
Cycling
Playing sport
Taking the kids for a run in the park
Dancing
Going for a swim
The best type of physical activity for fat loss (in general) is WEIGHT-BEARING ACTIVITY, such as walking.
If weight bearing activity such as walking is not possible or is too uncomfortable then less weight-bearing activities such as swimming, cycling, rowing and walking in water are good alternatives to get you moving.
As a precaution, you should discuss your level of fitness and general health with your healthcare professional before you start increasing your level of activity.
SPECIAL NOTES:
Warm your body up a little before exercising. For example, slowly do the motion of your activity for 5 minutes then stretch for 2-5 minutes before exercising. More importantly, stretch for 5-10 minutes after any exercise, when your muscles are warmed up and more easily stretched.
Suggested solutions for potential problems that may affect some people when they increase their activity levels.
Chaffing
Solution: wear bicycle shorts; use Vaseline
Sore legs
Solution: change shoes; stretch legs; see a podiatrist
Back or joint problems
Solution: do weight supportive exercises; walk in water or soft sand
As mentioned above, walking is one of the best physical
activities for weight loss.
A great way to get into walking is to start with a comfortable 10 minute
walk on a flat surface then build up to three 10 minute walks each day
(or longer walks a few times a week if you feel like it).
Remember to wear comfortable shoes, drink plenty of water and don’t over
do it.
A good long term “getting active” goal is to build up to a total of 200
minutes walking each week or use a pedometer to measure your steps and
build up to a total of 10 000 steps each day. Keeping a weekly log of
your activity will help you know how you are going towards reaching 200
minutes or your step target.
This level of activity will really help your weight loss program and as it
becomes one of your new habits it will help you maintain your healthy weight
for life.
