Photography by Renée Comet
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Fitness Tips for Americans 50+
By Betsy Stephens, March-April 2003
Making it a daily habit can take much less effort than you think
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You probably don't spend hours exercising at a health club every week. The good news? To lose weight, you don't have to. Research shows that incorporating activity into your daily life can help you shed pounds more successfully than starting a "formal" exercise program. That's because you're more likely to stick with a regimen that is easy to adopt. For example, a two-year study at the Cooper Institute for Research in Dallas, Texas, found that 121 people who increased their daily activity—by raking leaves or by taking the stairs instead of the elevator—lost the same amount of fat as 114 men and women who started gym-based exercise programs. And one year later, most of the gym-goers had quit exercising and regained weight, while their leaf-raking counterparts had maintained their healthy habits after the study ended.
These tips will help you get fit without starting another difficult exercise program that you might abandon in a few weeks:
- Make a motivational list, and display it in a conspicuous spot. Post on your bathroom mirror a list of all the benefits (gaining energy, looking better, sleeping better, etc.) getting more exercise can give you, says Daniel C. Stettner, Ph.D., health psychologist at the Northpointe Health Center in Berkley, Michigan. It'll motivate you every day. "Giving yourself reasons to make changes further encourages new behavior," says Stettner.
- Keep a diary to weed out unnecessary loafing. Write down everything you do in a week, then look it over and find easy ways to squeeze in activity, suggests Connie Tyne, M.S.W., behavior modification expert at the Cooper Wellness Program. This morning, did you hunt for the closest parking spot at work or the supermarket when you could have walked from a farther one? When you golfed on Saturday, did you take a cart? If so, plan to walk next time.
- Add 2,000 more steps to your daily tally. (For the average person, that equals about one mile.) Researchers at the University of Colorado have found that this is the magic number to prevent weight gain. It may sound like a lot, but if you track your steps with a pedometer (about $20 in sporting goods stores, or through www.coloradoonthemove.com), you'll be amazed at how quickly they add up.
- Mix socializing with a little sweat. Instead of meeting friends over a meal, suggest a walk or a game of tennis. Or take your grandchild to the park instead of going for ice cream.
- Get a dog that can't sit still. Dogs need to be walked, and they cajole you to play—activities that burn calories. "A lot of people feel silly just going out to walk by themselves, but a dog can give purpose to your mission," says Tyne.
- Pump some activity into your common routines. Linking exercise to a daily event will help make it a habit, says Tyne. If you watch Oprah every day, walk to a friend's house to catch it. Or, if you listen to NPR's Fresh Air program every afternoon, take a personal radio with headphones and walk around the block as you listen. If you're an art buff, walk through a museum.
- Quit sending e-mails to Bill, who sits 20 feet away. Make in-person trips instead of sending e-mails or phoning nearby co-workers. Also, declare one day a week to be remote-control-free for television viewing. "Technology makes it easier for us not to be active," says Tyne. Forgoing these minor conveniences can add thousands of calorie-burning steps to your week.
- Take beep breaks. Set an alarm on your wristwatch or digital organizer to beep every hour. That's your cue to get up and take a three-minute walk, says Bess H. Marcus, Ph.D., director of Physical Activity Research at the Brown University Center for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine.
- Start small—and enjoy success. If becoming more active inspires you to start an exercise program, that's wonderful. Just don't set your goals so high that you become discouraged and quit, warns Tyne. If you tell yourself you're going to walk for 20 minutes every day and then you fail, you'll be depressed. But if you plan to circle the block twice this week, you'll feel motivated when you easily reach this goal.
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