I have always been into fitness. Even through high school, I was interested in sports performance and making myself the best that I can be. When I first got into kinesiology, I wanted to do what most people want to do and go into sports performance. And that still is a huge passion of mine and still help athletes hit their potential. But throughout college, I realized that there is a bigger problem than getting athletes bigger, stronger and faster. That issue is obesity. If an athlete doesn’t hit his numbers, they will still be able to live. If someone who is obese doesn’t get help, they will die.

Yes – it is that serious. I don’t think people understand the gravity of the situation when they are overweight. There is NOTHING good that comes out of carrying a few extra pounds. Your joints can’t handle the stress. Your heart can’t handle the stress. Your blood vessels can’t handle the stress. Your blood pressure increase. Your heart rate increases. Your blood flow decreases due to narrowing of the arteries, which could form blood clots leading to a stroke. You could develop Type 2 diabetes. Your sleeping patterns aren’t up to par so you aren’t sleeping through the night which effects your mood and your energy levels. Your energy levels are so low, you could develop sleepiness during the day which effects your work habits.

But here is the light at the end of the tunnel: Your start reaping the benefits of exercise the SECOND you start exercising. Your heart rate, stroke volume and cardiac output all start to increase, creating more blood flow through your body. Your blood starts flowing through your body. Your blood delivery becomes more efficient, your heart rate and blood pressure go to moderate levels after  you finish. Your perception of well being and self concept increase and anxiety and depression decrease.

And you don’t have to get out and run 6 miles to feel these effects! Your body starts adapting and benefiting from ANY physical activity. If you start walking around the block, you benefit. If you park farther away from the mall, you benefit. If you take the stairs rather than the elevator, you benefit. Start BENEFITING!! There is no better time than right now to get in the best shape of your life, and possible start saving your life.

In middle school, you more than likely took a health class. In that class, they told you that diet and exercise was the best way to stay healthy. That hasn’t changed over the years, regardless of how long ago you were in school. What does change over the years that people get confused about is how much physical activity you need. The requirement depends on which organization you look at. There are some that say 5-7 days of moderate physical activity and then there are others that say 3 days of low to moderate exercise.

I think the first thing that needs to be done is you need to define what Physical Activity actually is: From an earlier post, Physical Activity is any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that result in energy expenditure. In real life, physical activity is basically anything that you break a sweat doing. Walking the dog, playing with the kids, joining a softball team, anything!

But how much are you suppose to get? Really, whatever you can. 5-7 days of moderate physical activity, according to the ACSM, is optimal for great health benefits. But if you can do 3 days, that is better than zero days.

Honestly, though, you should not really say “5 days” or “7 days” or anything else. You should try to just make physical activity part of your life. If you put to much emphasis on trying to get enough days of physical activity in during the week, more than likely, you will say something like “I will just get my 5th day in tomorrow” or ” If I take today off, I will go the next 5 days”. And due to human nature, you more than likely will not hit what you want to. Instead, just make physical activity part of your lifestyle. Be active. Live active. Start walking every morning. Join a sport league. Start hiking. Whatever it is, just start living a healthy, active lifestyle and you will start living a healthier life. But if you must put a number on it, shoot for 5-7 days of moderate physical activity for optimal health improvement. But also make sure your diet is in check. A good, active lifestyle doesn’t mean anything if you are eating crap. But that is another post for another day. Have an awesome day.

You hear it all the time on the TV, Radio, from Doctors, around the coffee machine and throughout your daily life: Get physical activity in your life. But what exactly is physical activity and how much should you really get?

In science, physical activity is any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that result in energy expenditure. In real life, physical activity is basically anything that you break a sweat doing. Really anything. Do you work when you vacuum the house? That is physical activity. Do you work when you chase your grand kids? That is physical activity. Do you work when you go shopping and have to walk around the entire mall? That is physical activity.

What is NOT physical activity? Watching hours of TV. Sitting in front of a computer (reading killer articles on Ninteman Fitness is OK for now). Doing nothing is not physical activity. Physical activity doesn’t have to be hard to do. Just make

sure what you are doing is hard. Park farther at the mall. Do lunges when vacuuming. Race the kids around an obstacle course around the house. Do jumping jack during commercials through your favorite TV show. Walk up and down your stairs at your house. Find a step and do 20 min of stepping up and down your step. When you look around, you can really find ways to get in your 30 min a day 5 days a week of physical activity each week. It shouldn’t be a chore. Find things you are doing already and amp them up to get in your activity. Your health will thank you in the long run.