The weekend is here . You can reward yourself for dieting all week but use some common sense. You simply cant’ stick to a restrictive diet forever. So enjoy some special foods. Do not waste calories on the same burgers, fries, pizza, and chips. Have the really good stuff. You aren’t goingt to limit what you eat, just how much. Stick to high protein and high fiber when you can. But enjoy what you eat this weekend and Monday you won’t feel like your diet has the deck stacked against you.
TODAY: GET SOME EXTRA ACTIVITY TO BURN YOUR EXTRA CALORIES.
No time for a workout? I’m sure you have 30 seconds. Researchers have found that a measly half minute sprint on a stationary bike 4 to 6 times a week can fire up your cells to get more energy (glucose) from food. It will help keep diabetes away. It’s not enough to really aid in your weight-loss. But it will really help your muscles, bones and even your mood.
You still need that half hour of walking a day, but these little sprints will really make you feel like you’re doing something good, and maybe inspire a few longer sessions too.
TODAY: DO A FEW HALF MINUTE SPRINTS ON AN EXERCISE BIKE, STEPPER OR JUST AN EXTRA FAST WALK.
I told you about the pedometer exercise plan where you add steps to your daily routine, but you don’t need a pedometer. You can use your watch and still have your exercise add up..
If you’re finding it hard to get motivated or it seems like you’ll never get that 30 minutes of walking in each day, start with just 5. But do it 5 minutes out of your front door and then 5 minutes back. That’s easy isn’t it? It even sounds easier. Come on… you can walk for five minutes and turn around and come back. Do that three times a day and you’ve met your daily goal. Then when you’re ready add a couple of minutes. It will just get easier and easier. It’s simple math that even a diet dummy can figure out.
TODAY: PUT ON YOUR WATCH AND WALKING SHOES.
They have now found that the benefits of any aerobic exercise lasts for an amazing 72 hours! It turns out that studies show that it helps your glucose levels and gets your metabolism revved up for three full days. Don’t get it in your mind that you can just skip a couple of days. But it means that if your schedule only gives you three days a week to ride your bike, run, fast walk, do a stepper, etc. you will be in much better shape but if you do more than that you’ll see more results. It also explains why on your day off you still feel better and feel better about yourself.
TODAY: WORK UP A SWEAT.
Yesterday I told you to dig out that pedometer you have. I know one is around your house somewhere. McDonald’s even gave them away just a few months ago. The reason to use the pedometer is to find out how much you usually move around each day just doing what you normally do. They say that we take an average of 5,000 steps. I think that’s a bit low. Or maybe the average person is really sedentary. It may be revealing for you to find out this benchmark for exercise.
The next goal is to simply step it up. Add 1,000 steps to your total. Then the next day add some more. You get the idea. Think of the little device as giving your fitness a treat. Maybe you could call it a “peds dispenser”.
TODAY: TAKE MORE THAN YOUR AVERAGE NUMBER OF STEPS.
You probably have a pedometer in that drawer of stuff you ignore. Likely you put it on the day you got it and never again. It’s also likely that you simply didn’t see how it could be of any benefit. Well I have a plan for you to put it to work. You see we all get exercise every day without even knowing it. When you get up from the couch and walk to the refrigerator you get exercise. When you walk to the car to drive a block to the store you get some exercise. (I hope you see some of my sarchasm here.) To cut to the chase, (another pun) the average person takes about 5000 steps a day. But just like the car commercials say, “your mileage may vary.” So today dig out that pedometer and find out how many steps you are taking. Tomorrow we’ll take this plan one step further.
TODAY: DIG OUT A PEDOMETER YOU ALREADY HAVE, OR GO BUY A CHEAP ONE.
Just so you don’t think that I nag you to walk because I think it’s a good idea. The nags all have factual basis. I may not be a doctor, but I’ve read what they recommend. And the big guy, the Surgeon General, recommends “30 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity on five or more days per week to improve your health and fitness.” It can be accumulated walking of 30 minutes, meaning it can be done in shorter lengths throughout the day. 10 or 15 minutes at a time during different parts of the day is fine. The ‘moderate intensity’ means you feel the exercise and get warm and slightly out of breath when you do it.
So get up and walk or we’ll have to stick a big red surgeon general warning on the side of your couch, because it’s hazardous to your health!
TODAY: GET OUT THERE AND WALK!
Daily Nag, Exercise | Diet Nag | 
August 28, 2010 6:04 am | 
Comments (0) 
Subscribe