Listen Live
St Jude banner

Gyms around the country are making big bucks off of memberships that many purchase and don’t use.  The popular exercise DVD programs of today are doing extremely well while they sit unused in the homes of many who wanted to do them, but perhaps needed an easier start.

The other thing is, you don’t actually have to start out with a lot of exercise to get results.

A study in the American Journal of Hypertension found that sedentary individuals who participated in only 30-60 minutes per week of exercise experienced “clinically significant” decreases in their blood pressure.  That amounts to approximately only 5-10 minutes per day of exercise!

Starting small with exercise will also help you with the next most important concept, which is consistency. As I said before, if you start too big you risk burnout. Starting with just 5-10 minutes per day of exercise like walking increases your likelihood of adherence. Over time, you can increase the amount of walking that you engage in until you reach the amount recommended by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, which is 30 minutes five days per week, or 150 total minutes per week.

LIKE BlackDoctor.org on Facebook! Get Your Daily Medicine…For LIFE!

If you find yourself wanting to start exercising but not knowing where to start, just start small.  Start a walking program today for just five or so minutes every day, stay consistent with it and slowly add more time as your body allows you. Just a little bit of exercise will go a long way toward helping you reach your health goals.

Shawn McClendon is an ACE-Certified Personal Trainer, health and fitness blogger, columnist, and author of 13 Things to Stop Believing to Become Healthy and Lose Weight.  Follow him on his website and on Twitter.

Here’s Why Just A Little Bit Of Exercise Makes A Big Difference  was originally published on blackdoctor.org

« Previous page 1 2