BETTER HEALTH
*
1,440
minutes in a
2 2 minutes of moderate
xercise
eeded
or
___
good
ealtoh
8
U.S,
Dept of Health and Human Services
r
mp
college softball playoffs, or a motivational quote tacked to
your bathroom mirror (try*
You’re stronger than you think
or
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone).
Share your goals with
others— whether in person or by posting them online. “Putting
the info out there allows friends and family to provide encourage-
ment and help hold you to your word,” Visek says.
“ I’M V ERY SELF-CONSCIOUS ABOUT M Y SIZE. I CAN’T IMAGINE
JOINING A GYM OR WALKING THROUGH M Y NEIGHBORHOOD.”
Try exercising incognito. In other words, leave on your khakis or jeans,
throw on some sneaks, and head out for a brisk walk— no “look at me”
spandex required. Odds are you won't feel conspicuous if you're
dressed like other pedestrians. Not that you'd be judged anyway:
“Women have a weird sense that everyone has binoculars and is
watching their every move,” says fitness specialist Pamela Peeke, M.D.,
author of
Body for Life for Women
(Rodale Books). “But this isn't
Wisteria Lane. People arc wrapped up in their own problems— and arc
often struggling with the same issues you are.”
That said, the gym
can
be a self-esteem sapper if you tend to
compare yourself to others. “There's a reason people find these
environments intimidating,” Dr. Peeke acknowledges. “You see all
these women walking around in their little sports bras and perfect
ponytails, and you just want to disappear,” So permission granted.
Skip the gym and keep your focus where it belongs: on
you.
“ I’VE DONE 50 CRUNCHES A DAY FOR
SIX
WEEKS,
AND MY WAIST HASN’T SHRUNK AT ALL.”
Don't lose heart, All those sit-ups— a form of exercise known as resis-
tance training-—undoubtedly
have
toned the muscles in your middle.
But you need to diversify, because resistance training does not trim
body fat, explains Cedric Bryant, Ph.D,, chief science officer at the
American Council on Exercise and fitness adviser to
Better Homes
and Gardens.
“That's why naturally lean people see workout results
so quickly— their muscles aren't hidden by body fat,” he says. “The
rest of us have to reduce our body fat to reveal that definition.”
For this, Bryant recommends a two-prong approach: First, instead
of doing crunches every day, switch to every other day
S O
you can
squeeze in some aerobic exercise, which burns more calories for
speedier slimming. Second, tweak your diet to limit processed foods
and incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean
Beyond a
sleek physique
Sure, fittin g into you r high
school prom dress w ould be
nice. But that7s not the only
reason to exercise.
f
T Immunity
A study in the
British Medical
Journal
found that people who
worked out five or more times
a week recovered more quickly
from colds than people who
weren't active.
I 1
Sleep quality
Compared with women who avoid
workouts, those who exercise
tend to fall asleep faster— and
snooze more deeply once they do.
Energy
On average, sedentary people
reported 20 percent less day-
time fatigue when they started
exercising regularly, according
to a study from the University of
Georgia in Athens.
^ Risk of depression
Researchers in Norway Found
that physically active people were
half as likely as their sedentary
counterparts to develop symp-
toms of depression.
Risk of breast cancer
A study in the journal
Nutrition
and Cancer
found that women
who were active at least 150
minutes a week were 40 percent
less likely to develop breast
cancer than women who seldom
exercised—independent of their
family history.
4
^
Risk of type-2 diabetes
People with elevated blood sugar
(prediabetes) can reduce their
risk of developing type 2 diabetes
by up to 58 percent with daily
physical activity and modest
weight loss, according to the
American Diabetes Association.
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