Your plan for physical activity

Regular physical activity may help you lose weight and keep weight off. It may also improve your energy level and mood, and lower your risk for developing diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers.

Any amount of physical activity is better than none. Experts recommend doing at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most or all days of the week for good health. To lose weight or maintain a weight loss, you may need to do more than 30 minutes of physical activity a day, as well as follow your healthy eating plan.

You can get your daily 30 minutes or more all at once, or break it up into shorter sessions of 20, 15 or even 10 minutes. Try some of these moderate-intensity physical activities:

• walking
• cycling
• tennis
• aerobic exercise classes (step aerobics, kick boxing, dancing)
• energetic house or yard work (gardening, raking, mopping, vacuuming)

- (Source: US National Institutes of Health, April 2011)