Veggie Blog

Many of us live as if we were in a cage. We were built to move, but our days are spent going from bed to breakfast table, to the car seat, the office chair, the restaurant booth and the living room couch, and back to bed. Health experts believe that weight gain is caused as much by a lack of activity as by eating too much, so it makes sense to bring movement back into the day.

Is exercise enough on its own?

Not usually. If you exercise but do not change what you eat, you may be able to prevent weight gain, or lose a few pounds for a while, but it is hard to keep that up, and a walk around the block will not cancel out a daily donut. Activity works best as part of an overall plan that includes healthy eating. The good news is that the more regularly you move, the easier it is to keep your weight steady once you have lost some. Regular activity is also good for your heart, bones, mood and sleep. Adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, and two days of muscle-strengthening activity, according to the CDC.

How can you get the exercise you need?

Here are four ways that fit into a normal day.

1. Get enough sleep. Good sleep habits support exercise. If you are exhausted during the day, you are less likely to feel like moving, and people who are short of sleep often reach for food to make up for the rest they have missed. Adults need about 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night, according to the National Institute on Aging.

2. Walk the walk. Walking is one of the easiest kinds of exercise, and for many people it is enough to start with. Build up gradually to at least 30 minutes of brisk walking, five times a week, which adds up to the 150 minutes. Brisk walks have health and mood benefits that are well worth the time. Our post on five easy ways to get moving has more ideas.

3. Use the treadmill when the weather is bad. If you have a treadmill or an exercise bike at home, or at the gym, put on your favorite show and walk or cycle while you watch. Most of us watch television anyway, and indoor equipment lets you turn a sedentary hour into an active one. You do not need a treadmill, though: marching in place, climbing stairs or following an exercise video also works.

4. Seize the time. Lack of time is the excuse we use most. A simple rule is to get as much activity as you can fit in without letting it take over your work or family life. Ten minutes three times a day counts. Park a bit farther from the entrance, get off the bus a stop early, take the stairs, do a few stretches at your desk, and walk while you talk on the phone. See also our list of everyday activities that count as moderate exercise.

How do you stay motivated?

Remind yourself that every bit of activity helps to prevent many health problems, and that looking after your health is a gift to your family as well as yourself. Choose things that you enjoy, such as dancing, gardening or a walk with a friend, and keep a record of what you do. If you have a medical condition or have not been active for a long time, check with your doctor and build up slowly.

Put together, your plan should combine moving more with a balanced way of eating. Read our guide to lifetime fitness for ideas on turning this into a habit.

Weight Loss Plan: The Goal to Go For

Since excess weight puts you at risk of many health problems, you may want to try a weight loss plan to help avoid those risks and prevent disease.

But what should your long-term goal be? And what short-term goals should you set to help you get there? You have a better chance of reaching your goals if you make sure from the beginning that your weight loss plan is sensible and reasonable.

Here are some guidelines from the experts on choosing weight loss plans and goals.

1. Be realistic

Most people’s long-term weight loss plans are more ambitious than they need to be.

For example, if you weigh 170 pounds and your long-term goal is to weigh 120, even though you have not weighed 120 since you were 16 and you are now 45, that is not a realistic weight loss goal.

Your body mass index, or BMI, is a useful guide to whether you need to lose weight. The healthy BMI range, according to the National Institutes of Health, is between 18.5 and 24.9. If your BMI is between 25 and 29.9, you are considered overweight. A BMI of 30 or above is in the obesity range. BMI is only a rough guide, so ask your doctor what range is right for you.

From this point of view, you need a realistic target weight that brings you into a healthy BMI range for your height.

2. Set healthy objectives

Losing weight for the sake of vanity is psychologically less helpful than losing weight to improve your health.

You have made a big step forward if you choose a weight loss plan that includes exercise and eating right, so that you feel better and have more energy to do something positive in your life.

3. Focus on doing, not losing

Rather than saying that you are going to lose a pound this week, say how much you are going to exercise this week. That makes for a sensible weight loss plan.

Keep in mind that your weight over a week or two is not fully in your control, but your behaviour is.

4. Build up step by step

Short-term goals should not be pie-in-the-sky. This means that if you have never exercised at all, your first goal for this week could be to find three different one-mile routes that you can walk next week.

5. Keep up the self-encouragement

An all-or-nothing attitude only sets you up to fail. Learn to judge your efforts fairly and objectively. If you miss some of your goals, simply look ahead to next week. You do not need a perfect record.

After all, self-encouragement should be part of your weight loss plan. Otherwise, you may end up giving up.

6. Use measurable goals

Saying that you are going to be more active this month, or that you will really get serious this week, is not a goal you can measure and should not be part of your weight loss plan.

This is one reason why you should build habits into your weight loss process and focus on them. You should be able to count the minutes of exercise you do in order to succeed with your plan.

The bottom line is that many people make weight loss plans that remain just that, a plan. They have to put the plan into action by setting goals that motivate them to succeed.