Here’s another article from my little column.  I promise I’ll come up with some new and original material soon!

Reputable References Help You Learn How to Get in Shape
Learning how to get in shape can seem like a daunting task. The market is flooded with fool-proof programs and products advertising maximum results with minimal effort. Although they are misleading, these ads are also very convincing, causing most people to become confused about what really works and how to achieve results. In truth, designing a program for weight control can be fairly simple if you understand each of the variables that affect your results.

There are three factors you should consider as you plan for a healthy lifestyle. The first and most discussed factors are nutrition and exercise. Nutrition factors that influence your health are both quantity and quality of foods you consume and the general components of exercise are flexibility, strength training, and cardiovascular exercise. The third and probably least talked about factor in a successful weight control program is motivation. Mental motivation is the psychological component of weight loss that deals with the thoughts and feelings that influence eating, exercise, and health habits.

Although it’s not a cure-all, when taking action to implement a healthy lifestyle, exercise is probably the easiest step to master. Most of us know that exercise is important, it’s deciding how much, how often, and what types of exercise that can be challenging. Unfortunately, most of us gather our information from profit-based products whose sole intention is to convince us to spend money on a certain product. Instead of getting results, purchasing these products often leads to confusion, frustration, and loss of motivation.

Fortunately there are a variety of professional associations you can use as a reliable substitute, these associations work with both scientists and physicians to develop safe and effective guidelines for everyone to use. ACSM, which stands for the American College of Sports Medicine, is a much respected organization in the fitness industry. In fact, many universities and well known fitness facilities refer to the ACSM manual to design and implement both the fitness analysis and exercise prescription for the general public.

Today, I’m sharing the ACSM basic recommendations for healthy adults under age 65 ACSM guidelines. The Basic recommendations from ACSM and AHA:

Do moderately intense cardio 30 minutes a day, five days a week
Or
Do vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week
And
Do eight to 10 strength-training exercises, eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week.

Moderate-intensity physical activity means working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break a sweat, yet still being able to carry on a conversation. It should be noted that to lose weight or maintain weight loss, 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity may be necessary. The 30-minute recommendation is for the average healthy adult to maintain health and reduce the risk for chronic disease.

To learn more about developing a comprehensive fitness program that will work for you, you can visit the ACSM website at www.acsm.com Remember to consult your physician before starting an exercise program.

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