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 The
Keys to Living a Healthy
Way of Life -- Education,
Exercise and Good Nutrition
(ARA) - How many times
have you gone to sleep
at night, swearing you'll
go to the gym in the morning,
and then changing your
mind just eight hours
later because when you
get up, you don't feel
like exercising?
"While this can happen
to the best of us, it
doesn't mean you should
drop the ball altogether
when it comes to staying
fit," says Jeff Zwiefel,
Vice President of the
Nutritional Products Division
at Life Time Fitness,
a leading national health,
fitness and nutrition
company. "What people
need to realize is that
staying active and eating
right are critical for
long-term health and wellness
-- and that an ounce of
prevention is worth a
pound of cure."
Zwiefel says the more
you know about how your
body responds to your
lifestyle choices, the
better you can customize
a nutrition and exercise
plan that is right for
you. "When you eat well,
increase your level of
physical activity, and
exercise at the proper
intensity," he says, "you
are informing your body
that you want to burn
a substantial amount of
fuel. This translates
to burning fat more efficiently
for energy."
In other words, proper
eating habits plus exercise
equals fast metabolism,
which, in turn gives you
more energy throughout
the day and allows you
to do more physical work
with less effort.
"The true purpose of
exercise is to send a
repetitive message to
the body asking for improvement
in metabolism, strength,
aerobic capacity and overall
fitness and health. Each
time you exercise, your
body responds by upgrading
its capabilities to burn
fat throughout the day
and night," says Zwiefel.
"Exercise doesn't have
to be intense to work
for you, but it does need
to be consistent."
Life Time Fitness recommends
engaging in regular cardiovascular
exercise four times per
week for 20 to 30 minutes
per session, and resistance
training four times per
week for 20 to 25 minutes
per session. "This balanced
approach provides a one-two
punch, incorporating aerobic
exercise to burn fat and
deliver more oxygen, and
resistance training to
increase lean body mass
and burn more calories
around the block," says
Zwiefel.
Here's a sample exercise
program that may work
for you:
- Warm Up -- seven
to eight minutes of
light aerobic activity
intended to increase
blood flow and lubricate
and warm-up your tendons
and joints.
- Resistance Training
-- Train all major muscle
groups. One to two sets
of each exercise. Rest
45 seconds between sets.
- Aerobic Exercise
-- Pick two favorite
activities, they could
be jogging, rowing,
biking or cross-country
skiing, whatever fits
your lifestyle. Perform
12 to 15 minutes of
the first activity and
continue with 10 minutes
of the second activity.
Cool down during the
last five minutes.
- Stretching -- Wrap
up your exercise session
by stretching, breathing
deeply, relaxing and
meditating.
- When starting an
exercise program, it
is important to have
realistic expectations.
Depending on your initial
fitness level, you should
expect the following
changes early on.
- From one to eight
weeks -- Feel better
and have more energy.
- From two to six months
-- Lose size and inches
while becoming leaner.
Clothes begin to fit
more loosely. You are
gaining muscle and losing
fat.
- After six months
-- Start losing weight
quite rapidly.
"Once you make the commitment
to exercise several times
a week, don't stop there.
You should also change
your diet and/or eating
habits," says Zwiefel.
Counting calories or calculating
grams and percentages
for certain nutrients
is impractical. Instead,
Life Time Fitness suggests
these easy-to-follow guidelines:
- Eat several small
meals (optimally four)
and a couple of small
snacks throughout the
day
- Make sure every meal
is balanced -- incorporate
palm-sized proteins
like lean meats, fish,
egg whites and dairy
products, fist-sized
portions of complex
carbohydrates like whole-wheat
bread and pasta, wild
rice, multigrain cereal
and potatoes, and fist-sized
portions of vegetable
and fruits
- Limit your fat intake
to only what's necessary
for adequate flavor
- Drink at least eight
8-oz. glasses of water
throughout the day
- Life Time Fitness
also recommends taking
a multi-vitamin each
day to ensure you are
getting all the vitamins
and minerals your body
needs
To learn more about
the comprehensive health,
fitness and nutrition
programs and products,
centers and services offered
by Life Time Fitness,
log onto www.lifetimefitness.com.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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