So far, we’ve talked about what to eat and drink and what not to—the intake side of the equation. But physical activity—the output side—is just as important. Exercise is about more than simply burning off fuel. We tend to oversimplify the equation, putting food on one side and deprivation and exercise on the other side. It’s like a balance sheet that tells us, “You ate that cheese Danish. Now you’d better skip lunch, hit the gym, and burn it off.” No pain, no gain, right? Well, not exactly.
We want you to think about this balance sheet in a different way. First of all, physical activity never needs to be “pain.” Second, while it does burn calories, it’s not a way to compensate for overindulging in empty calories. Third, it can be a hugely, undeniably, delightfully important part of living well and enjoying good health. Other than not smoking, weight control is the single best thing you can do to get healthy and stay healthy. And physical activity is not only an essential part of weight control, it can also offer a host of other health benefits.
As balance sheets go, this one may sound strange, but it’s true nonetheless: Both sides are positives. You can eat well and deliciously, and you can derive the benefits of both weight maintenance and a longer, healthier life by making enjoyable, regular physical activity a part of your life.
Physical activity can help protect you from developing heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. It can help defend you from certain cancers—including colon and breast cancer—as well as adult-onset diabetes, arthritis, and osteoporosis. It can also help improve your digestion, prevent constipation, lift your mood, clarify your thinking, relieve symptoms of depression, and improve your self-image. As feelings of well-being are stimulated through oxygenation and movement, cravings often subside, and in the process, choices about “indulgence food” can become less loaded and easier to deal with. And yes, on top of all that, physical activity helps you control your weight.
Exercise burns calories that would otherwise be stored by your body as fat. It also builds muscles. You knew that. But did you know that building muscle, or at least maintaining it, is an essential part of weight control?
Your muscles burn calories constantly—even when you’re sleeping. They burn more, of course, when you engage in physical activity. But what’s just as important is that physical activity also stimulates muscle cells to grow and divide. Build more muscle and your body uses more energy, even at rest.
If, on the other hand, you’re very sedentary, your muscles will gradually shrink. You’ll burn fewer calories at rest, and, to make matters worse, lost muscle is usually replaced by fat. Before long, you’re caught in a vicious cycle. The more the balance shifts from muscle to fat, the more your metabolism slows down. That means you need less energy, so more of the food you eat goes into your body’s fat stores instead of being used as fuel.
The more your fat-to-muscle ratio tips toward fat, the easier it becomes to gain weight and the harder it becomes to lose it. And the extra weight you gain makes it more difficult—and less appealing—to exercise, so your metabolism slows even further. You increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, and these risks may not always be fully reversible, even with weight loss. In other words, it’s never too soon to start exercising regularly.
Remember, too, that when it comes to fat and muscle, the bathroom scale can’t tell you the whole story. For an inactive person, a weight gain of 10 pounds over a few years might actually be a gain of 15 pounds of fat and a loss of 5 pounds of muscle. That’s the balance shift you need to get control of, and the best way to do that is simply to get enough exercise.
Start with thirty minutes a day. Just about any kind of activity that gets your whole body moving will do the trick. Studies have shown that brisk walking offers many of the same benefits as more vigorous exercises, such as jogging. The more intense the exercise, of course, the more calories you’ll burn. Activities like running or working out on an elliptical training machine give you a cardiovascular workout in a shorter time than lower-intensity activities such as walking.
But the good news is that you can get the workout you need, starting right now, just by moving around for thirty minutes a day—and those active minutes don’t even have to be all in one stretch. However, we suggest working toward finding thirty minutes of time for physical activity, because it’s the easiest way to be sure you’re really getting the exercise you need. But if that’s not realistic for you, at least at first, break it into manageable chunks.
Start by assessing your “exercise personality.” Do you love solitude and long for more time just to gather your thoughts? Do you enjoy the motivation and social interaction that comes from working out with other people? Do you get a kick out of competing—or are you more interested in beating your own personal best? Pick realistic, enjoyable forms of physical activity that fit your personal style.
Walk the walk. If you’ve got the time, walk briskly for thirty minutes or more a day. This can be as simple as finding ways to add more walking to your day. Get off the bus or train one or two stops early and walk the rest of the way. Park a little farther away. Walk around the block at lunchtime. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. (Remember, walking down a set of stairs is also exercise; it builds balance and coordination, and, because it’s weight-bearing, it’s a good calcium-retention strategy.) It’s all good, and it all adds up.
Beat boredom. If walking isn’t your idea of a good time, spice it up. Listen to music, the radio, or audiobooks. Or make regular dates to walk with friends and use the time to get caught up.
Choose human-powered alternatives. Go for the broom instead of the vacuum; the rake or shovel instead of the leaf- or snow-blower; your bike instead of the car.
Boogie to the beat. Put a CD player in your kitchen so you can move and groove to the music as you cook or clean. Turn on the tunes in your living room and just dance (especially when no one else is around).
Buy a punching bag. Jab away excess stress and get your workout at the same time. Treat yourself to a pair of boxing gloves while you’re at it.
Low-tech is okay. Besides rowing machines and Stair Masters (which, if you have them, you use, right?), simpler home equipment can include a chin-up bar placed strategically in a doorway you pass through often, a jump rope, or a small, portable trampoline that can be stored in a closet. (Take it out of the closet and jump your way through your favorite radio program on a rainy Saturday!)
Learn a new sport. Pick one you’ve always wanted to try. Whether it’s tennis, swimming, ballet, or jai alai, what matters is that you move and that you have fun.
Make the most of prime time. When you watch TV, instead of sitting on the couch munching, sit on the floor, stretching—and doing a few sit-ups and push-ups during the commercials. Even better, put a stationary bike or other exercise machine in front of the TV and work out as you watch.
Move through the day. Get up and walk around during work breaks. If you live in a house with stairs, go up and down while talking on the phone. Just plain fidget more. It all adds up!
Make it a class act. If you’re a “joiner,” and you like social interaction, find a dance or exercise class—you’ll work out and expand your social network at the same time.
What we’ve described so far is mostly aerobic activity (the kind that makes your heart and lungs work faster). But there’s another kind of exercise you also need: resistance training. This kind of exercise involves working specific muscle groups to lift or push weight. It can take the form of old-fashioned no-equipment exercise that uses your body as the weight (e. g., push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups); working out with weights or exercise equipment; or training with elastic exercise bands.
Resistance exercise becomes more important after the age of thirty because our muscles start to shrink due to declining levels of hormones such as estrogens and testosterone. The only way to counteract this shrinkage is to give the muscles more of a workout. It’s important to remember that each part of the body needs its own workout to maintain its muscles.
Most of us work our legs by walking and climbing stairs, so the kind of activities we’ve described above will provide both aerobic exercise and some muscle-building for the legs. But our torsos, arms, and necks also need working out. The net effect of working all of our major muscle groups is significant. It will keep the muscles from shrinking; maintain strength that reduces the risk of falling as we get older; make our bones stronger because they respond to the muscles pulling on them; burn calories 24/7; reduce insulin resistance and thus the risk of diabetes; and make us look and feel better.
And for all its benefits, resistance training requires very little time. Even one or two minutes for each muscle group (ten to fifteen minutes total), three times a week can make a huge difference. Anyone can do resistance training, even people with serious heart disease or diabetes—though if you are over forty or have an existing disease, you should consult with your health-care provider before beginning.
No matter what your starting level, begin gently and build up slowly over many weeks; you will be amazed at what you can do after six months. If you are not familiar with this kind of exercise, a few sessions with a personal trainer are a worthwhile investment. A trainer can help you get started on the right track and steer you away from bad habits, so you get the maximum benefit from each exercise. Once you get going, you will become your own best expert about what works for your body and your schedule.
You’re inundated with images and information about exercise and fitness. But don’t let anyone tell you how or what you have to do. It’s not necessarily about joining a gym or training for a triathlon—unless, of course, you want to. Just aim toward moving thirty minutes a day. Find a way to do it that clicks with you. Start slow, but start—and stick with it. Let it quietly become a habit. Before long, instead of having to find time for exercise, you’ll want to make time for it. And when it comes to investing in your long-term health, that will be time well spent.