Guide to Physical Activity

The Art of Healthy Lifestyles
An increase in physical activity is an important part of your weight management program. Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake. Sustained physical activity is most helpful in the prevention of weight regain. In addition, exercise has a benefit of reducing risks of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, beyond that produced by weight reduction alone. Start exercising slowly, and gradually increase the intensity. Trying too hard at first can lead to injury.

Your exercise can be done all at one time, or intermittently over the day. Initial activities may be walking or swimming at a slow pace. You can start out by walking 30 minutes for three days a week and can build to 45 minutes of more intense walking, at least five days a week. With this regimen, you can burn 100 to 200 calories more per day.

All adults should set a long-term goal to accumulate at least 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, and preferably all, days of the week. This regimen can be adapted to other forms of physical activity, but walking is particularly attractive because of its safety and accessibility. Also, try to increase "every day" activity such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

Reducing sedentary time is a good strategy to increase activity by undertaking frequent, less strenuous activities. With time, you may be able to engage in more strenuous activities. Competitive sports, such as tennis and volleyball, can provide an enjoyable form of exercise for many, but care must be taken to avoid injury.

Activity Progression
For the beginner, activity level can begin at very light and would include an increase in standing activities, special chores like room painting, pushing a wheelchair, yard work, ironing, cooking, and playing a musical instrument.

The next level would be light activity such as slow walking of 24 min/mile, garage work, carpentry, house cleaning, child care, golf, sailing, and recreational table tennis.

The next level would be moderate activity such as walking 15 minute/mile, weeding and hoeing a garden, carrying a load, cycling, skiing, tennis, and dancing.

High activity would include walking 10 minute/mile or walking with load uphill, tree felling, heavy manual digging, basketball, climbing, or soccer/kick ball.

You may also want to try:
flexibility exercise to attain full range of joint motion
strength or resistance exercise
aerobic conditioning
The Art of Healthy Lifestyles

Balanced Diet for Healthy Lifestyles

The Art of healthy lifestyles
The key to a healthy lifestyle and keeping your weight in check is following a balanced diet that includes all the right foods in the right amounts. The term 'balanced diet' is one of those health mantras that are constantly heard but rarely explained. What it means is a diet that includes a combination of several different food types, including grains and pulses, fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy products, fats and oils.

Crucial to the idea of a balanced diet is including foods in the right proportions; the aim is to get all the nutrients your body needs while maintaining a healthy weight. It isn't a case of having roughly equal measures of everything. There should be a lot of some foods and just a little of others. Some fats and oils, for example, are important in the diet for various reasons, including absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. But you only need a small amount compared with foods such as vegetables.

In the UK, the Food Standards Agency has developed a program called The Balance of Good Health to show people what proportions and types of foods make up a healthy balanced diet.

This divides foods into five different groups:
-Bread,other cereals and potatoes
-Fruit and vegetables
-Milk and dairy foods
-Meat, fish and alternatives
-Foods containing fat and foods containing sugar

The largest groups are bread and vegetables, followed by milk and meat. The smallest by far is the salt and sugar group. Fresh fruits and vegetables are low in fat, calories and salt, and an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Most of us don't eat enough to meet the current recommendation of three to five servings of vegetables and two to four servings of fruits a day.

Protein-rich foods and dairy foods are needed in more moderate amounts. Your diet should include two to three servings of milk or dairy produce a day, for example. Take care that protein-rich foods don't bring a lot of fat with them; trim the fat off meat and take the skin off chicken. Think about how you cook foods too; meat fried or in breadcrumbs adds extra fat.

How much is a serving?The size of a serving of some foods, especially fruit, is easy to work out; common sense is also a good guide. More specifically, the USDA Food Guide Pyramid outlines standard serving sizes for many foods, based on the American imperial system of cups. For example, one cup of milk counts as one serving, as does half a cup of pasta or a slice of bread.How many servings we need of each food group every day depends on our age, gender and level of activity.

It's not too difficult to keep track of how many servings of certain individual foods we eat each day, such as an apple or a piece of cheese. But what happens when you throw a number of foods together in a meal?All you need to do is break a meal down into its individual ingredients. For example, shepherd's pie with a cheesy crust combines foods from two or more groups, depending on how you make it, including:
-Potato, carrot and onion (fruit and vegetables)
-Minced lamb or beef (meat)
-Cheese (milk and dairy)

The Art of healthy lifestyles