We’ve
heard over and over again that a well balanced diet and good exercise
program are the building blocks of good health. So why
don’t more
people strive to achieve both?
Life Time Fitness, a national Healthy
Way of Life company, is seeking to help people take charge of their
health and wellness in the face of a national obesity epidemic.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 50-percent of
U.S. adults - or approximately 100 million people - are overweight, and
more than 33% are trying to lose weight.
Numerous
studies have shown that getting enough exercise and receiving adequate
nutrition are critical if you want to live a healthy lifestyle. The
1996 Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity recommends the
average American get 30 minutes of physical activity per day.
“New
science shows you don’t have to go for high intensity physical activity
to improve your lifestyle. Regularly walking the dog around the block,
raking leaves, folding the laundry or taking the stairs instead of the
elevator can all help. The key is to be consistent about it,” says
Philip Haberstro, president of the National Association for Health and
Fitness. Since the Surgeon General’s Report came out, his agency has
been working on ways to encourage people to engineer physical activity
back into their lives. “Personally, I park a little further away from
the places I’m going so I can get a little exercise in on my way to
appointments,” adds Haberstro.
Staying active isn’t the only
thing you need to do to maintain a healthy lifestyle. “All the exercise
in the world isn’t going to help you in the long run if you don’t eat
right too,” says Zweifel.
In a guidebook provided to its members,
Life Time Fitness nutritionists recommend that instead of a big
breakfast, lunch and dinner, people eat several small balanced meals
(optimally four) and a couple of small snacks throughout the day. “By
balanced we mean meals that contain protein, complex carbohydrates,
fruits and vegetables,” adds Zweifel.
Good sources of protein
include lean meats, fish, egg whites, dairy products, beans and rice.
Complex carbohydrates include whole-wheat bread, wild rice, whole-wheat
pasta, multigrain cereal and potatoes. You should also aim to eat five
servings of fruits and vegetables throughout the day. Keep in mind that
they also make great snacks.
For the 9 out of 10 adults who do
not get the essential daily vitamins and nutrients from the food they
eat, nutritional supplements should be considered. Life Time Fitness
offers a full line of nutritional products, including men’s and women’s
multivitamins, energy bars and shakes and weight-loss supplements.
The
reason diet and exercise are so important has a lot to do with
metabolism - how your body breaks down food and regulates energy. If
you have a fast metabolism, your body stores less fat and you have more
energy. The exact opposite is true for people with slow metabolism.
“Many
people think the reason we exercise is simply to burn calories, but it
goes way beyond that,” says Zweifel. “What people really need to
realize is that the true purpose of exercise is to send a message to
our bodies, asking for improvement in metabolism, strength, aerobic
capacity and overall health and fitness.”
Life Time Fitness
trainers recommend that people who are serious about shedding the
pounds and keeping them off participate in aerobic training exercise
regimens a minimum of three times per week for at least 30 minutes at a
time. Aerobic exercises include walking, biking, jogging, swimming,
aerobic classes and dancing. Dieters are also urged to take part in resistance training, such as weight lifting, at least twice a
week for a minimum of 30 minutes per session.
About the Author:
To learn more about the healthy living programs at Life Time Fitness, log onto www.lifetimefitness.com. Courtesy of ARA Content.
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