Activity is one of the cornerstones of the new ZonePerfect® Nutrition Program™ Philosophy. Following the ZonePerfect® Nutrition Program™ eating plan will provide the sustained energy you need to stay active. Our bodies were designed to move, and like any good machine, we need regular activity to keep us performing at our best. The goal of the ZonePerfect Physical Activity Plan is to help build endurance, strength, balance, flexibility and agility to maximize your enjoyment and performance in whatever activities you choose to include in your life, whether it be jogging, tennis, walking, golfing, dancing, strength training or playing Frisbee in the park.
Finding time to be active can be a challenge with the busy lives most of us are leading. What is important to distinguish right now is the difference between being busy and being active.
Being busy can make you feel as tired as an intense workout can, but it is not the same and you do not get the same health benefits from it.
A typical day - including working, running errands on your lunch break, picking up the kids and taking them to the soccer game, stopping for a few groceries, preparing dinner and cleaning up - can feel like a marathon, and by the time it is all done you could swear you crossed some kind of finish line. Most of this was accomplished with you sitting at your desk or in your car, not really giving your body the chance to move and work like it was designed to do. There are ways to include physical activity in this type of schedule that will help you meet your goals for healthy living.
Two Strategies for Physical Activity
Are you looking to invest just enough time and effort in your physical activity plan to stay healthy and feel better, or are you looking to see a significant difference in how you look or perform? Will you be happy with weight maintenance, or do you really want to see the number on the scale decline? These are questions that help define how much effort you need to put into your activity plan. It is recommended that adults exercise 30 minutes a day for the better part of every week to reap the health benefits of regular exercise. This can be accomplished all at one time, or it can be split up into two to three segments throughout the day. A brisk 10-minute walk with the dog in the morning, a post-lunch walk at work with a colleague and another brisk 10-minute walk with the dog in the evening will help you meet your 30-minute goal. You don't need to do the same thing everyday. In fact, it would be best if you participated in a variety of activities. On weekends, when you may have fewer time constraints, you might attend a Pilates class, play a round of golf or work in the yard.On the other hand, if you are someone who is committed to making a change in both your eating and exercise habits in hopes of losing weight and body fat, you will need to devote more time and energy to your workouts. For people who want to lose weight, 30 minutes a day is a good place to start. To help you continue to lose weight and maintain that weight loss, however, you will need to work up to 60 minutes per day. That is what we have learned from those who have lost weight and been successful at keeping it off. The 60 minutes of activity can also be accomplished in segments throughout the day. For example, a 20-minute walk in the morning, another 20-minute walk after lunch, and a 20-minute routine with free weights or exercise bands in the evening can help you meet your goal. Most aerobic classes are one hour in length. This amount of time spent exercising can seem discouraging, but you will reap so many benefits beyond the weight loss. You will have greater stress reduction, increased muscle tone, smaller clothing sizes, better stamina, increased strength, and greater improvements in multiple health parameters, such as cholesterol, blood sugar and sleep. We will provide more information about all aspects of the ZonePerfect® Nutrition Program™ Philosophy, including physical activity, in future Web updates.
