Although you won’t lose masses of weight by exercise
alone, the most successful and healthy answer to obesity is a combination of
regular physical activity and a low-fat, high-fibre diet.
The couch potato syndrome You have
probably all heard of the ‘couch potato syndrome’ which conjures up the image of
a totally inactive person glued to the TV munching fat-rich snacks and sipping
energy-laden cold drinks or beer.
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The incidence of inactivity is
growing at an alarming rate. It is particularly worrying is that modern
children and teenagers are just as likely to be couch potatoes as adults.
Gone are the days when children used up masses of energy by
playing, walking to school and taking part in sport. Nowadays even very young
children spend far too many hours sitting in front of the TV or their computers
using about as much energy per hour as is contained in a peanut!
Surveys show that British and American children watch up to
28 hours of TV weekly, using 2000 kJ less energy than
kids playing games or taking part in sport.
South African children in urban
environments probably don’t lag far behind their overseas counterparts and we may
soon be facing the same epidemic of childhood obesity that plagues these western
countries.
Labour-saving devices Modern life is all about saving time and energy. Those of
us who are ‘blessed’ with labour-saving devices and gadgets, use vacuum cleaners
instead of carpet beaters, automatic washing machines instead of scrubbing
boards and we wouldn’t dream of walking to the shops when we can drive there in
cars or buses. All these devices contribute to ever-increasing inactivity, which
in turn leads to overweight and obesity.
If we have so many labour-saving devices in our homes, then
we should have more time to exercise either by participating in an active sport
or in planned activities such as regular walking, jogging, swimming, cycling or
aerobics.
Excuses Many people say that “they don’t have time to
exercise”, that they are too busy to take time off to go to a gym or to join a
walking or cycling club.
These endless excuses are just that, excuses. If you take a
long hard look at your life and decide that the time has come to do something
about your expanding waistline, then you will be able to make time for exercise,
no matter how busy your schedule is.
Get up an hour earlier and stop over at your local gym
before work. Take the dog for a brisk walk after work. Make a point of
exercising over weekends instead of slumping in front of the TV watching the
select few play rugby or cricket.
The first step Every journey starts with a single step. This is also
true when you want to lose weight. The very first step you need to take, is to
decide that you are going to do something positive about your situation. You are
going to eat sensibly and you are going to start exercising regularly. You are
going to join a gym or an organization like Walk/Run for Life.
Keeping up the good work Once you have taken that first step, all that is required
of you is to stick to your resolve. Be consistent! The secret of using exercise
to help you slim lies in how regularly you exercise your body.
Research has shown that to have an effect on weight loss
you need to exercise for 30 minutes a day. You can also do an hour of intensive
exercise every second day if this fits into your schedule more easily.
Be consistent, be regular. Do those one hour exercise
sessions three to four times every week, not just one week a month, and you will achieve
the result you desire - to lose weight and keep it off. - Dr I.V. van Heerden, registered dietician.
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