Dr. Gwenn: Be Active Your Way and Every Day, Says New Government Report

Health experts love guidelines, especially on fitness and exercise. Just a quick show of virtual hands - how many of you find most of these useless and near impossible to fit into your own busy lives? Wow - that's a lot of hands in the air!

Thanks to the hard work of the Department of Health and Human Services, that abysmal track record for exercise and fitness guidelines took a course change in the right direction yesterday with the release of HHS' Physical Activity Guidelines For Americans.

These new guidelines are not only worth reading, but following. They work for kids, adults and people with health conditions. They are practical and take into account not only the lives people currently lead but people's individual tastes in exercise and athletic activities.

The overall theme for these new guidelines is to "Be Active Your Way" and the HHS website has a number of resources to help you get on your way. The two biggest features are stepping it up slowly over time and being active for life. They also emphasize the importance of starting off on a reasonable pace and building slowly over time to your ultimate goal. Pacing is very important and can't be underestimated. It is tempting to go with your adrenaline flow and enter a new activity with gusto but you'll only end up hurt without proper training and conditioning.

Moreover, you're more likely to stick to long term exercise if you avoid burnout and injury. This is why I've been emphasizing "small changes, big results" for so long and working hard to find fitness and exercise experts to bring you realistic advice to help you and your kids stay healthy and fit in a way that works for your busy lives.

The actual guidelines take into account that different ages have different exercise needs.
For example:

* Kids and teens: 1 hours of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise daily. "Examples of moderate intensity aerobic activities include hiking, skateboarding, bicycle riding and brisk walking. Vigorous intensity aerobic activities include bicycle riding, jumping rope, running and sports such as soccer, basketball and ice or field hockey. Children and adolescents should incorporate muscle-strengthening activities, such as rope climbing, sit-ups, and tug-of war, three days a week. Bone-strengthening activities, such as jumping rope, running and skipping, are recommended three days a week.

* Adults: 2 1/2 hours a week of moderate aerobic activity or 1 hr and 15 minutes of moderate physical activity. "Walking briskly, water aerobics, ballroom dancing and general gardening are examples of moderate intensity aerobic activities. Vigorous intensity aerobic activities include racewalking, jogging or running, swimming laps, jumping rope and hiking uphill or with a heavy backpack... Adults should incorporate muscle strengthening activities, such as weight training, push-ups, sit-ups and carrying heavy loads or heavy gardening, at least two days a week."

Even if you decide to not follow the plan to the t, the core values of the new guidelines are worth noting and putting on your refrigerator as your family's weekly exercise and fitness plan:

* "Regular physical activity improves health for young and old and reduces the risk of disease."
* "Some physical activity is better than none; the more physically active you are, the more benefits you reap."
* "Be safe as well as active."

BIO:
I’m a pediatrician, health journalist, mother, wife, musician, Starbucks frequenter, and lover of popular culture. With so many hats, no wonder my head is flattening! If all goes well, we’ll share a virtual cup o’jo from time to time and learn something new about the world. Thanks for stopping by and giving me a few minutes of the time I know you have precious little of these days!

VISIT DR. GWENN:
http://pediatricsnow.blogspot.com/

To share your exercise tips and experiences with the EmpowHer community, visit https://www.empowher.com/share

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• Fitness