KHQ MD: Fitting Fitness Into Your Life - Spokane, North Idaho News & Weather KHQ.com

KHQ MD: Fitting Fitness Into Your Life

Most people have busy lives and sometimes fitness takes a back seat in our daily routine. Exercise Specialist and Registered Nurse Heidi Green from Deaconess Medical Center is ready to get you moving! Here are her words of encouragement about how you can fit in fitness into your life.

Q: What are the current recommendations for the amount of regular exercise each week for a healthy adult?

Heidi Green: Basic recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine state healthy adults under age 65 should do moderately intense cardiovascular exercise 30 minutes a day, five days a week as well as perform 8 to 10 strength-training exercises, doing 8-12 repetitions of each exercise 2-3 times 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 short conversation. The 30-minute recommendation is for the average, healthy adult to maintain health and reduce the risk for chronic disease. In order to lose weight, 60-90 minutes of physical activity may be necessary.

Q: Most people have busy lives already- what's the secret to getting a fitness routine going?

Heidi Green: Find a friend or family member that wants to add fitness into their day then set a start date and stick with it. Schedule exercise to make it just as much a regular part of your schedule as everything else. The key to success is to set aside specific days and times for exercise. Make exercise a priority.  Choose activities you enjoy. If you need variety, combine a few different activities to keep you motivated. Seasonal options are a great way to vary your routine, for example: snowshoe in the winter, bike in the spring, swim or paddle in the summer, and enjoy long walks/hikes in the fall.

Q: Can you really get fit by doing 10 minute bursts of activity, three times a day?

Heidi Green: Research shows that moderate-intensity physical activity accumulated throughout the day in 10-minute bouts is just as effective as exercising for 30 minutes straight. Moderate-intensity exercise is qualified as making you slightly short of breath. (you can walk-and-talk but not walk-and-sing) This recommendation is to maintain fitness in an otherwise healthy adult as well as reduce the risk of chronic disease.

Q:What are some 10 minute fitness ideas that could be easily incorporated into a daily routine?

Heidi Green: Walk your dog around the block each morning before starting the daily grind. Exercise is good for your dogs' waistline as well. Take your 15-minute break at work and walk outside or hit the stairwell and climb a few flights.

When shopping park your car in the furthest spot then walk your cart up and down each aisle. Walk your child to/from school a few days a week. This is a great way to spend extra quality time.If you commute by bus, allow time in your schedule to get off the bus a few stops earlier and walk the rest of the way.