Cardio& flexibility exercises, weight training, good nutrition will do the trick.
THE NEW year is officially in bloom. Have you taken the first steps to renew your commitment to get it right in 2006? Did you begin your exercise routine last week and make a positive change in your eating habits? Did did you make that doctor's appointment you've been putting off?
We all know the health benefits of regular exercise, yet low physical activity is a global health problem. There are approximately 2 million deaths every year due to physical inactivity, according to the World Health Organization. And a sedentary lifestyle is one of the 10 leading causes of death, disease and disability worldwide.
Are you living and exercising at your optimal level?
If health is the goal, then most people fail to reach their fitness potential. Women tend to do cardiovascular exercise and men tend to embrace weight training. But both are essential ingredients to a well-rounded fitness routine, along with two other major components - flexibility and proper nutrition.
Resistance
Resistance training, or weight training, is an essential part of your workout. Its benefits include a reduction of body fat, lower cholesterol levels and lower resting blood pressure. It prevents muscle weakness and atrophy, improves posture, develops lean body tissue and strengthens skeletal muscles, reduces stress and improves metabolism and physical appearance.
There are a variety of ways to do resistance training - with weight machines, free weights and the ultimate, body-weight exercises. The tireless push-up is one of the most efficient exercises that engages the chest, back, shoulders and triceps.
Traditional push-ups are the equivalent to lifting about 60 percent of your body weight.
Cardio conditioning
Walking, running, jumping and biking each give your body a cardiovascular workout. Though the legs are doing the movement, the heart gets the benefits.
Cardiovascular training is best for building a strong heart and strong lungs. Plus, it's a great tool to get rid excess body fat. Most individuals should do some type of cardiovascular exercise a minimum of 30 minutes, three to five times a week. The activity should increase your heart rate 60 to 85 percent above your resting rate. (Here's one quick formula to determine your training heart rate of the average healthy person: 220 minus your age.)
If weight loss is your goal, you'll have to do 60 to 90 minutes daily. (Are you a fan of NBC's "The Biggest Loser"? You might be surprised to know the contestants spend four to six hours a day working out, in addition to eating a low-calorie, low-fat diet.)
If that level of activity seems daunting, remember that something as simple as walking can provide real health benefits. An eight-year study of 13,000 people found that those who walked 30 minutes a day had a significantly lower risk of premature death than those who rarely exercised, according to a report published by the American Council on Exercise.
So, what are you waiting for? Get a pedometer, strap it to your waist and get moving! Remember, 10,000 steps a day is the minimum recommendation. Start now and gradually increase your activity until you've reached those 10,000 steps.
Flexibility
Flexibility is often ignored, even by the physically fit. The recent popularity of yoga and Pilates has increased awareness of the importance of balance, flexibility and mindfulness.
Plus, flexibility may help prevent injuries by keeping muscles supple. Stretching increases range of motion, reduces or eliminates lower-back pain, improves posture and promotes mental relaxation.
As with the other forms of exercise mentioned here, you can perform flexibility exercises with or without machinery, in a group or on your own.
Nutrition
Proper nutrition is the most challenging of the fitness four. Most people are quick to adopt the latest fad diet. However, fad diets rarely deliver on their promise of permanent weight loss and good nutrition.
Forget the fads. The foundation for good nutrition is a diet based on five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables, according to the nonprofit group, Produce for Better Health.
A healthy diet is composed of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy, fish (high in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acid), lean poultry and meats.
What to avoid? Processed foods, trans fats, saturated fats, salt and sugar. It's that simple.
If you lose weight too rapidly, you will rebound just as fast. Ninety percent of those who lose weight by dieting regain it within five years, according to the National Institutes of Health. This year, don't lose weight, release it - set it free to never come back.
Losing weight is easy compared to maintaining weight loss. Even the celebrated surgical procedures are no panacea. The queen of the gastric bypass, singer Carnie Wilson, packed on a whopping 100 pounds during her pregnancy last year, and NBC's weatherguy Al Roker has admitted to gaining 40 pounds since his 2001 surgery.
Both are now struggling to get the weight off again, presumably the old-fashioned way. The evidence is clear. There are no quick fixes, be it surgery or crash and fad diets.
Best to follow the advice of 91-year-old Jack LaLanne, the father of American fitness, who says, "You've got to exercise VIG-OR-ROUSLY! Exercise is King and Nutrition is Queen! Life is an athletic event, and you must train for it." *