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How Much Activity Do You Really Need?A reality check on the government’s new guidelines
Get the family moving for good healthThat’s the government’s aim, and the Wetherhold family of Macungie shows you how. Washing the car (l-r) are father Dirk; Alex, 12; Annae, 8; mother Gail; Eric, 14; Ashley, 17; and Ian, 10. Other around-the-house ways to stay active are stacking firewood, pushing the lawnmower and washing windows.Couch potatoes panicked when the new U.S. dietary guidelines came out earlier this year. For the first time, exercise is part of the prescription—up to 90 minutes of exercise a day. When you can barely find time for a shower, how realistic is that?The fact is, achieving the goal may be easier than you think. “The guidelines are really about being more active in your everyday life,” says internist Erika Lahav, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. “People today are very busy, but not in a physical way. We sit in front of computers, ride the elevator and drive to work. Our clothes and dishes are washed in machines, and even our chairs have wheels.” While Lahav isn’t suggesting we go back to washboards, she does advocate moving our bodies more. For most people, 30 minutes a day is enough to maintain health, but if you’re trying to lose weight, you may need 60-90 minutes. “You don’t have to go to a gym to meet your physical activity goal,” she says. “Put on your favorite music and dance. Clean your house, wash the car, play with your children or pets, work in the garden.” Being active in 10- or 15-minute chunks is fine, Lahav says. “Choose something you enjoy and are likely to do regularly. Physical activity needn’t be hard to be good for you.”
Want to Know More about what’s keeping you from being active and how to overcome it or Tips for Being More Active? Click above. This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
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