Make Exercise a Priority
Most people know that lack of exercise raises their risk for heart disease and stroke. Still, many adults do not get the recommended amount of physical activity each week.
Research on exercise and time of day is limited. In general, if you can find a time for exercise that you can stick with consistently, you will be much more likely to get better results. For some people, it is easiest to exercise in the morning, before other things get in the way. For others, it is easier to find time in the afternoon or evening.
Research on exercise and time of day is limited. In general, if you can find a time for exercise that you can stick with consistently, you will be much more likely to get better results. For some people, it is easiest to exercise in the morning, before other things get in the way. For others, it is easier to find time in the afternoon or evening.
Making time for health is not easy.
Take a look at your daily schedule. Where can you find 30 minutes for exercise? Perhaps you can take time to walk while calling a friend or listening to an audiobook. Perhaps you can spare some time spent watching TV.
Screen time spent sitting in front of a TV or computer comes with a price. The more time we spend sitting on the couch or parked in front of the computer, the less physical activity we get, and that adds up to extra pounds. Take a look at how television viewing affects adults in the U.S.
- The average American adult spends about four hours a day watching TV. That's about two months of every year glued to the couch!
- By age 65, nine entire years will have been spent watching TV.
- About 50% of our population's increase in weight has been associated with watching too much TV.
Try spending just 15 of the minutes of your screen time going for a walk instead. You'll find that you're not really missing much by turning the computer off earlier or skipping one TV show. Keep adding more minutes to your walk each time. You'll find that you do have time to exercise. Make your health a priority.
This information is a summary from "Your first year with Diabetes" and is provided with the permission of the American Diabetes Association.
It is a comprehensive book and recommended by the American Diabetes Association to help those who have been recently diagnosed with diabetes.
Click on the image to go to the American Diabetes Association bookstore.
Note: Care4life has no commercial interest in any of the books or resources it recommends.