Most of us are aware that physical activity reduces our risk for chronic health problems like obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. Yet, many people struggle to make physical activity part of their ongoing daily routine.
You’ve heard the expression, “Just do it!” However, according to Lynda Johnson, nutrition & health education specialist with University of Missouri Extension, it’s important not to over do it when you start exercising… By being kind to your body and realistic with your expectations, you will feel energized by the activity and not worn out…
Set goals to get you moving
Setting specific, manageable goals can lead to steady progress, and result in physical activity becoming part of your weekly routine. As with anything, you need a plan of attack in order to succeed. It’s not enough to say, “I’m going to start walking on a regular basis.” This goal is too vague and too difficult to measure. Define your goal with more specifics, such as, “I will walk for 15 minutes three times a week over my lunch hour with my co-worker, Jan.”
In her book, The ‘I hate to exercise’ book for people with diabetes, Charlotte Hayes provides some guidelines for setting goals to help get you moving…
For the list of guidelines and additional tips, see the full version of this article at http://missourifamilies.org/
