Exercise Basics

Everyone knows exercise has many benefits. You can decrease your risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, improvement bone density, decrease blood pressure, reduce certain types of cancer increase muscle strength and endurance, and alleviate of symptoms of depression.

The Surgeon General recommends 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on five or more days per week to improve health and fitness. You can accumulate it in 10- to 15-minute intervals throughout the day or all at once. "Moderate intensity" physical activity means you feel warm and slightly out of breath when you exercise. And second, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends a more formal, workout prescription of 20-60 minutes of continuous activity, three to five times a week and two to three days of resistance training.

Thirty minutes of exercise is good for you, but objective measurement of how much activity you actually do can be elusive. Research shows that it's possible to overestimate your activity level or calorie expenditure by as much as 51%! Overestimating your activity or calorie expenditure level can have undesirable consequences; it can mislead you into thinking that you're doing enough physical activity to improve your health or that you're doing enough activity to burn off extra calories from a weekend binge. Pedometers provide objective measurement of physical activity, especially if you are walking. Plus, they can also be a great motivational tool and lots of fun!