How To Get Started

Adding more physical activity to your day can include just moving more. Take the stairs, instead of the elevator. Park a little further from a store and walk to it. Small activities like these add up!

Start with very light activity. That may mean doing work around the house that you do standing, like ironing or yard work. When that gets easy, try walking or golf. Then move up to moderate activity, like bicycling or tennis.

See your doctor before starting an exercise program. This is very important for people with health problems like:

• High blood pressure


• Heart disease


• Arthritis


• Diabetes

If you want to exercise, but aren’t sure you’ll do it right, think about working with a professional trainer. Working out with an expert can help you make exercise part of your life.

How hard should you work?

How do you know if you’re working out too hard (or not hard enough)? The “talk test” is one easy way. During moderate physical activity, you should be able to have a conversation comfortably. If you’re too out of breath to talk, you’re doing too much.

Another way is to measure your heart rate. You can buy electronic heart monitors that can do this for you. Or, do it yourself by taking your pulse. You’ll need a stopwatch or clock with a second hand. Then:

• Lay your index and middle fingers across the inner side of your other wrist, until you feel your pulse.



• Start counting on a beat. The first beat counts as 0.



• Count for 60 seconds (or count 30 seconds and multiply the number by 2).



• The number you get is your heartbeats-per-minute.

Your “maximum” heart rate is 220 minus your age.

• For moderate-intensity physical activity, your target heart rate is 50% to 70% of your maximum.


• For vigorous, or intense, activity, the target heart rate is 70% to 85%.

Moderate-intensity activities include brisk walking, mowing the lawn, scrubbing floors, or washing windows. Vigorous activities include jogging, bicycling on hills, and swimming laps.

For instance:

Remember to “listen” to your body when you exercise. Stop exercising and check with your doctor if you have:

• Chest pain or discomfort


• Dizziness


• Severe headache


• Any other unusual symptoms when you work out

If the pain doesn’t go away, get medical help right away.

Also of Interest

After years of dieting, JaNel realized that maintaining weight loss is the really hard part of dieting.

Walking has helped John to lose weight and he’s working on ways to fit it into his routine.