Finding Time for Fitness

I think that increasing daily activity from thirty minutes to one hour is a good recommendation. Unfortunately, it is a recommendation that is pretty unlikely to be heeded by all that many Americans. People are convinced that they are too busy to take time out for exercise. Being active often becomes the lowest priority on our metaphorical totem poles. People who do work out regularly would almost definitely say that getting an hour a day is a great idea, but for the many individuals who don't work out regularly, that advice is probably falling on deaf ears.

For people who are not willing to take time out of their hectic schedules to exercise, or, conversely, for people who are too lazy to work out (and we all know that people like this are out there), I think that it would be better to recommend a change in their diet than an increased exercise regime. Honestly though, it seems like Americans (and I'm not judging here - myself included) aren't having an easy time listening to any advice on eating, exercise, and weight management. Or perhaps it's not that we're not listening, but it's that we're bombarded with conflicting messages. The advice from "the experts" seems to be ever-changing -- eat carbs, don't eat carbs, only eat "good" carbs; use artificial sweeteners, don't use them; don't use butter, butter is more healthy than margarine - I mean, it's not to difficult to figure out why people just can't get it right!

Weight loss programs are certainly not few and far between, although healthy and maintainable diets are often lost in the herd of fads. If Americans could just accept the reality that being healthy and fit is not something that you can achieve without a deliberate effort then our society wouldn't be so fat. I think it is important that the media does the right thing by proving to people that fad diets are not the way to go, and that it is truly a matter of a healthy portion-controlled diet paired with regular exercise that will yield the desired outcome. The reason I am saying the media should make this move more so that the FDA or other government and public health organizations is because the general public has its ear to the media much more often than anything else.

Exercise is so important not only to weight control and achieve physical fitness, but also to mental health and emotional well-being. Exercise can really help people to manage stress and increase their energy level. Exercising just makes you feel happier and better overall, and I am not just saying that because it is what so many professionals have said, but I am also speaking from personal experience. I lost forty pounds thanks to following the very practical diet put forth in Dr. Phil's book, "The Ultimate Weight Solution," which utilizes a system called "the seven keys to weight loss freedom" (and yes, I know this sounds cheesy). One of the keys is "Intentional Exercise," and the way that "turned this key" was by doing about an hour of Tae-bo every day. I also use weights and resistance bands during my workouts because I know it is important to incorporate this element into an exercise regime. I truly started to feel dramatically more energized and positive, and now that I've made this a real part of my life, I can't imagine going back to my old lethargic ways.