Index

2007-06-08

How much should you exercise?

= 300 Calories = 1 hour of brisk walking

Exercise is good for you. Exercise has been shown to help mangage weight and stress, prevent heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and extend life. Isn't that great? All you need to do is invest 30 minutes a day performing moderately vigorous activities that make you breathe hard.

Regular exercise strengthens your muscles, your heart, and your lungs. The rhythmic deep breathing from vigorous exercise develops greater lung capacity, and the increased muscular strength will give you mobility and independence into your old age. Your bones also benefit. Weight-bearing exercise and a proper diet help to preserve and build bone mass. You may already be getting enough exercise if you have a job that demands physical strength, but if you have a job where you are sitting most of the time, you definitely need to make the time to exercise.

Exercise can burn calories that may help you to lose weight. One hour of walking at a brisk pace will burn about 300 calories which is the equivalent of a creme-filled doughnut. If you want to lose weight, you cannot do it only through exercise. You have to cut out the junk food too.

---