If you are like us, you’re already having trouble keeping up with those pesky New Year’s resolutions. And, if you are like us, one of those was to exercise more.
We are not alone. According to Inc.com, exercising is the second most common vow for the new year, surpassed only by eating healthier and followed by a resolve to lose weight. It is no coincidence that the three most prevalent resolutions are part of the same goal — taking better care of ourselves; and it is no surprise that studies show about 60 percent of us admit to making New Year’s resolutions but only about 8 percent adhere to them.
So, while we might have already skipped a day or two at the gym, there is some good news: New fitness guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services remind us that exercise does not necessarily mean 90 minutes on the treadmill followed by muscle-popping leg presses until you actually look good in yoga pants.
No, the key to improving fitness is to simply get up and move.
Adults are recommended to engage in 150 minutes of moderate activity each week, meaning that a fairly brisk 22-minute walk each day can provide benefits. Or a pair of 11-minute walks; researchers say the benefits are cumulative during the course of the day. Adherence to such a routine will not turn you into Adonis, but it has to be better than chilling with Netflix or gazing at your phone for 22 minutes.
Notably, the updated guidelines largely eschew the word “exercise” — which can be frightening for the most sedentary among us — in favor of “activity.” The point is to move, even if it means sweeping the kitchen floor or going for a quick walk around the block. “What we were amazed with is the amount of new research — really strong evidence — that supports the role of physical activity in preventing and reducing the progression of disease,” said University of Iowa researcher Kathleen Janz, who helped develop the guidelines.
That highlights the importance of sticking to those New Year’s resolutions — or making new resolutions on Jan. 8. Americans’ increasingly inactive lifestyles have led to a prevalence of obesity, and that is costly to our health and our pocketbook. Obesity has been linked to increased risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, some cancers and even mental illness, and the Centers for Disease Control says it contributes to “all causes of death” — an eye-opening summarization. Meanwhile, the nationwide costs of weight-related medical bills amount to an estimated $190 billion a year.
Data from last year suggest that Washington has a lower rate of obesity than most states, and that Clark County residents are doing better than the statewide average. But that doesn’t mean we should be fat and happy and complacent about it; we need to keep moving. As Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones told The Associated Press: “Doing something is better than doing nothing, and doing more is better than doing something.”
None of this is new information, but the updated guidelines from Health and Human Services provide a reminder that improving our health is an attainable goal and requires a little activity every day. Reaching for the TV remote or walking to the cupboard to get the potato chips does not count as activity, but a short walk during a break at work or after dinner can be beneficial.
That is something we all should resolve to do on a regular basis.
