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If you have a health and fitness question for Fitz, please submit your questions in the comment section below.
Q. Hi Fitz. Quick question: I’m 37 and trying to get in better shape. I’ve already started eating better and exercising, but I don’t know exactly how much I should do. I’m busy, but I can make a decent amount happen based on your recommendations. Thanks for the help, Lina
A. Hi Lina. Great question! I was just talking about this at a speaking engagement, so I’ll tell you what I told that large group I held captive. I believe when you hear my answer you’ll be shocked at how little you’re actually being asked to do.
There are 168 hours in a week. For most of us, if we are not deliberately exercising, we’re spending the majority of our time fairly still. Think about it. A vast amount of our time is spent sleeping, sitting for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and while traveling, working, watching TV, e-mailing and more. Sitting and sleeping takes up so much of our time that many of us are plain old sedentary! Knowing this, how much time do you think is reasonable to set aside for active movement (exercise)?
Is one hour out of 168 too much to ask for exercise? How about two, three or even six? Do you think six hours of motion out of 168 is excessive? Neither do I. So I’d like you to do between six and nine hours a week. That’s a fair amount of time in which you can accomplish a great amount of cardiovascular, strength, flexibility and balance training.
It may sound like a lot, but it’s really not in the grand scheme of things. Once you get into the habit of exercising each day for an hour or so, your body will begin to crave it, and the results will come quickly. To keep exercise interesting, make sure to vary your workouts. Run, dance, lift, do pilates or yoga and play sports. Choices for fitness are plentiful, so boredom should never be an issue.
For those of you with uber-tight schedules, of course, you can get by on less time. Just make sure that your time is highly productive if it’s short. And if you’re free on time, please feel free to do more! Most important, I hope you’ll learn to welcome daily exercise as a wonderful part of your life. It’s truly the best gift you could ever give yourself. Now get to work!
