The Surgeon General recommends adults get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day, at least five days a week. Exercise helps the body burn excess calories and can be helpful for losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight. Active adults are less likely to develop chronic health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer. Regular activity also increases joint flexibility, improves stamina, relieves stress and decreases risk for anxiety and depression.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 60 percent of American adults don’t get the recommended levels of physical exercise. More than 25 percent of adults don’t get any exercise at all.

Getting in Shape for Summer

Many people are sedentary in the winter months because the days are shorter and the temperature is colder and inclement, limiting opportunities for safe outdoor exercise. The lack of exercise and the toll of holiday parties can lead to extra bulges of fat in certain areas of the body. Jessica Matthews, M.S., Exercise Scientist with the American Council on Exercise in San Diego, recommends a program of three kinds of exercise to get the body in summer shape.

• Strength training. Strength training involves the use of weights to increase muscle mass and build stronger bones. You can use machine weights, free weights or your own body weight to achieve the needed resistance. The exercises should specifically target the muscles in the upper body, lower body and the torso (core strength). The American Council on Exercise recommends one set of 8 to 12 repetitions for each of the three muscle groups two to three days a week. The body needs a break in between strength training days to rebuild damaged muscle.

• Interval training. Interval training involves alternating short bursts of high energy activity with longer periods of less intense activity. For example, a person may walk for one to two minutes, then run for one minute. The periods of low intensity exercise allow the body time to recover after a short period of physically demanding exercise. Thus, a person can sustain intense activity for a longer period. Interval training requires the body to use two different sources of energy. The aerobic system, used during low intensity and sustained exercise fuels the body by converting carbohydrates that are stored throughout the body. The anaerobic system, used during short bursts of activity, draws fuel from the carbohydrates stored in muscles.

• Cardio/Aerobic exercises. Cardio, or aerobic, exercises are activities that increase heart rate. These types of exercises burn off calories and help the heart and lungs work more efficiently to increase stamina. They include weight bearing exercises, like walking or running, and non-weight bearing activities, like swimming or biking. The key for aerobic exercise is sustained activity. Matthews recommends 30 minutes of aerobic activity a day for at least five days a week. However, those 30-minute periods can be broken down into three 10-minute periods. Aerobic exercise intensity should be increased gradually. People who want to lose weight need to work up to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise a day.

In addition to the three main types of exercise, Matthews says everyone should start each activity period with a warm up to prepare the body for movement. The warm up should include gentle exercises, like walking for several minutes and moving the joints through their range of motion. After an exercise program, stretches should be done to keep the muscles from getting tight. For general exercise tips:

American Council on Exercise