To help healthy adults reduce the risk of chronic disease, the FDA recommends 30 minutes of moderately intense activity on most days of the week. According to Dr. Paul Higgins, a daily half-hour walk can result in an annual fat melt of 12.2 kg (that’s almost 27 pounds). If you’d rather ride a bike, cycling expends twice as many calories per minute.
The 30-minute goal may not be enough for your personal situation, but it can be a place to start. If you’re already achieving this exercise level– congratulations!!! For many of us however, a million things come between us and our desire to increase physical activity. “Where will I find 30 minutes in my already hectic day?” is a common complaint. The following two points may help you in this quest.
First, the 30 minutes can be broken down into three sessions for almost the same benefit. Stealing 10 minutes here and there may be easier to envision. The second point is the concept of getting 24 minutes of exercise in 8 minutes. That sounds even better, doesn’t it?
As a food writer, I’m often in the middle of some recipe and need an additional ingredient. In a hurry, I jump in the car and drive to the market. One day I timed the short walk there, about 4 minutes. I then timed the drive, (wait for traffic, find a parking spot, walk to the doors), which took 6 minutes. Counting the return trip, I got 8 minutes of exercise and saved 4 minutes. Testing this “more for less” theory, I briskly walked downtown in 12 minutes. The drive took 8 minutes, so it cost me 4 minutes to get 12 minutes of exercise. Counting the trip home, I invested just 8 incremental minutes and achieved 24 minutes of exercise.
I realize it’s different living close to town compared to a rural area. But wherever you live, where can you safely walk to that you normally drive? Your friend’s house? The mailbox, market, bus stop, train station? Out to lunch? Try it just one time this week. You should feel a great sense of accomplishment so pat yourself on the back. If this isn’t enough of a reward, put 45 cents in a jar for every mile you didn’t drive to cover the car expenses you didn’t have. The important thing is that you pick even one thing new to do, or one thing to do differently, to fit fitness in. Now write it down and post it somewhere to remind you.
p.s. If you haven’t exercised in awhile, are over 40, weigh more than you want to, experience exercise discomfort, illness or chronic disease, you should consult with your medical professional before embarking on a new activity regimen.
