Exercise: A program you can live with

• The inside scoop: Exercise and your body
  • Energy to burn
  • Heart and blood vessels
  • Lungs
  • Muscles
  • Bones
  • Hormones
  • Immune system
• What can exercise do for you?
  • Prevents cardiovascular disease
  • Diminishes diabetes
  • Offers a dose of cancer prevention
  • Fights fractures and reduces falls
  • Prevents gallstones
  • Eases arthritis
  • Helps you attain a healthy weight
  • Extends life span
  • Improves quality of life
• The fundamentals: What you need to know to get started
  • How much exercise do I need?
  • How often should I exercise?
  • How long must my exercise sessions be?
  • How vigorously should I exercise?
• Creating a personal exercise plan
  • Aerobic activities
  • Strength training
  • Balance exercises
  • Flexibility exercises
  • Relaxation exercises
  • Designing your program
• 12 strength training exercises
• 10 basic stretches
• Staying motivated
  • Getting back on track
• Exercising safely
  • Should you talk to a doctor first?
  • 10 tips for avoiding injuries
  • If you have health problems
• Choosing exercise equipment wisely
  • Cardio equipment
  • Strength equipment
  • 10 tips for smart consumers
• Resources
• Glossary

Dear Reader,

At your last visit to the doctor, you may have received an unexpected prescription: exercise. While no pharmacy can fill this, it’s well worth your while to do so yourself. Hundreds of studies show exercise lowers your risks for serious health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer. What’s more, it eases arthritis and preserves independence while trimming your silhouette pleasingly. Put simply, exercise helps you feel better, look great, and live a longer, more joyful life.

Just how active do you need to be to reap these gains? Scientists say burning at least 700 to 1,000 calories a week through exercise lessens the odds for many chronic diseases and helps extend life. In 2008, the nationwide guidelines for physical activity, issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, spelled this out more practically by urging almost all adults to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, or an equivalent mix of the two, every week. Additionally, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans encourage strengthening activities for all adults, plus balance exercises for older adults at risk for falls. Raising the bar by doubling time spent on aerobic exercise, or adding bouts of vigorous exercise, further enhances fitness and health benefits.

If knowledge were action, wouldn’t we all be in excellent shape? Clearly, that’s not the case. Incidence of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke—four of many ailments that regular exercise helps you ease or avoid—is skyrocketing. Sixty-six percent of Americans are overweight or obese. Not surprisingly, perhaps, nearly 40% spend no leisure time on activities that could prompt them to break a sweat. Our reasons range from jam-packed days to disabling health issues to plain old disinclination.

Let this special report help you create a well-rounded exercise plan that fits your life—and give you ample reason to stick with it. In it, we detail the right blend of exercises to undertake, break down health-enhancing activities into manageable chunks, and get you started with a walking plan that ramps up slowly. Plus, we offer illustrated strength, stretching, and balance workouts.

How can you stay on track or start again when life derails you? What should you know to get a good buy on exercise equipment? Should you join a gym or find exercise regimens that work well at home? The tools and tips in this report supply answers to many questions and encourage you to take the next steps.

L. Howard Hartley, M.D.
I-Min Lee, M.B., B.S., Sc.D.
Medical Editors