Exercise makes all the difference. That’s why on the latest My Pyramid food diagram, there’s a person walking up the steps. Healthy eating isn’t enough—we all need to exercise, too.
Increasing your activity level has many benefits. It lowers your risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity and Alzheimer’s disease. It helps control blood pressure. It reduces stress and depression while improving sleep, flexibility and posture.
The good news is that you don’t have to buy expensive equipment or a gym membership. You just need to be active, and you can do it in ways you enjoy. Walking, playing with children, dancing, biking, jumping rope and doing the hula hoop all qualify!
Of course, time is always an issue. If you don’t have time for the recommended minimum of 30 minutes of exercise every day, be active for 10 minutes. Walk around the block during your lunch break. Take the stairs. Make it a game to find all the little ways you can be more active. Every little bit adds up.
Maybe you’ve got the time, but you just don’t have the willpower. At the end of the day, you’re tired. Try this: promise yourself that even if you are tired, you will exercise for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, give yourself a pat on the back—you were tired, but you still did it! You may find that after 10 minutes you have a little more energy to exercise for another 5 or 10 minutes. But even if you stick to that original 10 minutes, remember that you did well.
Exercise is your friend. Be grateful for every movement that your body can do. Turn off the TV, stop watching life, and start living it!
For customized recommendations on diet and exercise, visit www.mypyramid.gov.