Health Benefits of Physical Activity and Maintaining a Healthy Weight

Physical activity is associated with reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, breast cancer, colon cancer, and osteoporosis as well as maintaining a healthy weight. Diseases linked to excess body weight include diabetes, high blood pressure and diabetes. (Visit the Calculate Your BMI page to find out if you are a healthy weight.)

Getting Started

Ten thousand (10,000) steps per day are recommended to help with weight management as well as providing other health benefits. However, if you are just starting a walking program or don't usually take 10,000 steps a day, increase your personal step goals gradually until you achieve the 10,000 steps per day. To receive health benefits from physical activity, the recommendation for adults is 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity at least five days a week. (Moderate activity is when you feel like you are exerting yourself but you are still able to carry on a conversation comfortably while your are doing the activity.) You may find this goal easier to reach if you break your physical activity into 10- to 15-minute time periods throughout the day.

Most people take 500 to 3000 steps per day unless they make a special effort to walk or exercise. First, find out how many steps you take in a typical day. A good way to measure your steps is by using a pedometer. A pedometer is a small inexpensive device made to measure the steps you take. Pedometers can be purchased at most sporting good stores for under $20.00. Examples of Michigan stores that carry pedometers are:

• Detroit Area: New Balance at the Farmington Hills or Troy locations or Dick's Sporting Goods in Novi, Rochester Hills, Taylor, Troy, Utica, or Westland.
• Lansing Area: Dick's Sporting Goods or Playmakers
• Saginaw: Dick's Sporting Goods
• Statewide or multiple locations: Durham's Gym, Gander Mountain, MC Sports

• Wear your pedometer every day, all day for two weeks. Record your steps each day; in your calendar or in a place the works for you. For your convenience, we've also provided a journal to help you record your steps. Click here to download and print a four-week portable, pocket-size diary - just print it and fold it into quarters like greeting card.
  
  
• At the end of two weeks, note the highest number of steps you took on any given day and make that your goal. Suppose, for example, your daily steps were between 500 and 2000 on any given day during your first two weeks. You would make 2000 steps per day your initial goal.
  
  
• For two more weeks, work each day to get to your goal number of steps. At the end of the second two week period, raise your goal by another 500 steps per day. In the example above, the goals for weeks 3 and 4 were 2000 steps. For weeks 5 and 6, the goal would be increased to 2500 steps per day.
  
  
• Keep increasing by 500 steps at the end of each two-week period and sustain the new goal for two weeks. Before you know it...
  
  You're walking 10,000 steps per day!

Look for ways to walk a bit more in you daily tasks. For example:

• Park far from the door - it really does make a difference.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
• Have a "walking meeting."
• Deliver your email messages personally.
• Rake, shovel or mow for yourself and a neighbor.
• Find a walking partner and motivate each other to increase daily steps.
• Take a walk before you eat lunch.
• Take a walk around the house during TV commercials.
• Consider walking to places you have to go anyway.

Sticking With It

Research indicates that it takes at least six months to make something a habit. And as we all know, many things can happen to disrupt a good start in a 6-month time period, such as illness, travel, or even boredom.

• If you miss days, try to start again as soon as possible. The first two days might be hard, but most people get back in the swing after three or four days.
• If you get bored with walking:
  • Keep a log to monitor your progress and to record your success.
  • Find a friend to walk with and/or to encourage you.
  • Celebrate the milestones - when you achieve 5,000 or 7,000 steps, take yourself to a movie or buy a piece of clothing you've had your eye on.
  • Introduce new locations for a change of scenery (shopping malls, a walk in a different park or neighborhood).

Eating for a Healthy Weight

Physical activity is one important part of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. The other part is what you eat.

• Eat 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables (not fried) each day. Fruits and vegetable provide lots of vitamins and minerals but very few calories.
• Eat three servings of milk or calcium rich foods each day but select the low-fat or nonfat options.
• Load up on fruits and vegetables but cut your portion sizes just a bit on meats and desserts - to 3/4 of what you typically eat. Most people find they feel no less satisfied by cutting back slightly but it can make a big difference in weight over time.
• Watch what you drink. A can of soda pop with sugar is about 150 calories -- or almost 10% of the average adult's daily calorie needs. All the water you can drink has 0 calories.
• Don't go hungry. Drastic reductions in what you eat usually boomerang and result in weight gain rather than weight loss in the long run. Make sure you feel satisfed.