The human body was designed to be moving and working throughout the day. Sitting for long periods in an automobile, at a desk, or on the couch is an unnatural situation. It should not be surprising, then, that regular physical activity has many health benefits.1,2 These include an improved chance of a longer life with better flexibility and posture, better memory,3 greater self-esteem, healthier bones and joints, greater muscle strength and endurance, and a more attractive physique, with a lower risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, dementia (Alzheimer's),4 and certain types of cancer. Exercise can reduce depression and anxiety,5,6,7 improve sexual response in women, and help prevent sexual dysfunction in men.8 It is also vital to maintaining a healthy weight.9

Dedicate 30 or more minutes a day to focused exercise

At least 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 or more days per week, in addition to your regular activities, is recommended for basic health. Up to 90 minutes a day may be needed to attain or maintain a healthy body weight.9 The daily exercise may be done all at once or divided into smaller blocks. Twenty minutes of vigorous exercise may be substituted for every 30 minutes of moderate exercise. Either is enough to burn about 150 Calories.10,11,1

Getting 30 minutes of moderate exercise may be as simple as taking a brisk walk during your lunch hour. Other options include hiking, light weight training or calisthenics, yoga, playing frisbee, moderate effort on a rowing machine, shooting baskets, juggling, recreational swimming, horse-back riding, slow bicycling, playing actively with children, golfing without use of a cart, vacuuming, raking leaves or mowing a lawn. Vigorous exercise might include chopping wood, doubles tennis, fast ballroom or square dancing, fast bicycling, water or downhill skiing, hiking hills, swimming laps, jogging, jumping rope, aerobics, heavy weight lifting, or competitive basketball.12,13,14

Do it with a friend

Exercising with your spouse or other friend will make it more enjoyable and help you stay with it.

Make daily tasks more physical

Take stairs instead of elevators. Walk instead of drive, or park a little distance from your destination and walk the rest of the way. Use a vacuum cleaner and lawnmower that are not self-propelled.

Limit television and video games to 1 day per week

People who spend a lot of time watching television are more likely to be obese than moderate viewers or non-viewers. A study of over 3,500 successful weight-loss maintainers (weight losses of over 60 pounds maintained for over 6 years) revealed that they watched television an average of less than 3 hours per week.15 Television takes time away from active recreation, burns very few calories, and leaves you feeling less energetic. Television viewing can also be addictive, so cutting back may be very diffucult at first, but with time other activities become will more enjoyable and the television viewing will rarely be missed. Limiting television to one day a week will facilitate your attempts to get more physical activity and form good eating habits.16

Enjoy physical recreation

Select a fun activity that keeps your body moving, such as aerobics, badminton, baseball, basketball, baton twirling, bicycling, cross-country skiing, dancing, diving, football, gardening, gymnastics, handball, hiking, ice skating, jogging, martial arts, mountain biking, racquetball, rock climbing, rollerblading, rowing, running, skateboarding, snorkelling, snow skiing, snowboarding, soccer, softball, surfing, swimming, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, walking, water polo, water skiing, weight training, or windsurfing.