The Time is Now!! By Lou Haskins

this blog discusses being healthy in America today

I recently did a series of postings on how to make Behavior Changes, and why it is so difficult.

It seems logical to follow with this series; what is known by trainers as Barriers to Exercise.



The #1 reason for not getting the recommended amount of PA (physical activity) each day is.................?
drum roll please..................TIME! 

So, when we GET time, we'll start, right?  Unh Hunh! Yeah!


If you are seriously trying to do do something about you health and fitness, (action phase), don't let TIME get in the way, make it an ally!


The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has updated its' recommendations for exercise Do you know that now, your activity can be broken down into segments? 

Three 10 minute periods of activity a day can meet the minimum requirement of 30 minutes, at least 5 days a week, for physical activity. 

Here's great link to the ACSM updated guidelines as well asMETs.
You really should be looking for this kind of info if you have moved into the planning or action phase.  
 
http://www.bodyresults.com/e2acms_2007.asp

This site gives a terrific explanation of METs and how you can use them to boost your activity. 



 BTW, you'll notice it's now PA (physical activity) and not exercise. This reflects the more inclusive view that anything that gets you up and moving can be beneficial. For example, common chores like washing the car or doing housework. It counts! There's this system called METs (metabolic equivalents) that lets you keep track. Keeping a record is key. 
A good place is on the refrigerator. You KNOW you'll be going there!
 
 

If you have kids, involving them makes it quality time, sets a great precedent for them, requires more calories and  effort, but only a little more time. Kids love to help. Let them! They'll be grown and gone before you know it!

So, think about the ten minutes. Surely you can find ten minutes, right?  Think about that and in the next post, I'll give you some real life examples of what people are doing to get PA of ten minutes, three times a day.