Founded in 1994, Shape Up America! is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization committed to raising awareness of obesity as a health issue and to providing responsible information on healthy weight management.
Focus Area 1: Getting Active
You can improve your level of physical activity even if your time is limited.
First, look for easy ways to be more active throughout your day. How can you change the things you routinely do each day to increase your activity level? For example, when you use the phone, can you walk around instead of sit? Can you walk instead of drive to any of your destinations during the day? Research shows that increasing your daily activity in this way can improve your blood cholesterol and blood pressure levels and lower your body fat.
Can you come up with at least three ways to increase your activity level? Here are some possibilities:
- Ban the remote control--get up to change the channel.
- Use the stairs (if they are safe) instead of the elevator or escalator at work, your apartment, the airport, or mall.
- At home, view going up and down the stairs as a chance to be active rather than as an annoyance.
- Take a parking spot that makes you walk rather than driving around until you find a spot close to your destination.
- Do you have small children? Dance with them!
- If you watch videos: Movies usually end with a song--try moving around or dancing to it.
After you decide what to do, keep track of your activity. It's amazing how reinforcing it is to see your progress in writing.
Create your own Tracking Form to chart how you are increasing your daily activities.