Good Steps Program
Exercise in Chicago
You expend energy no matter what you're doing, even when sleeping! Thus your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day - a tempting idea for some. If you've noticed that every year, it becomes harder to eat whatever you want and stay slim, you've also learned that your BMR decreases as you age. Likewise, depriving yourself of food in hopes of losing weight also decreases your BMR, a foil to your intentions.
However, regular participation in physical activities is critical to sustaining good health. When combined with good nutritional habits, similar to those outlined in the Good Steps Program I have put together and that can be found elsewhere on this Website, you in time will find yourself in terrific shape and feeling great.
As a rule of thumb, adults should engage in at least:
Examples of moderate-intensity physical activity include:
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Walking at a Brisk Pace – an easy way to incorporate this into your daily life and lengthen the activity is by walking to a bus or el stop further away then the one you generally go to
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Bicycling on Level Terrain – the Chicago lakefront is a terrific place for this activity
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Yoga – there are great exercise DVDs and a number of places located throughout the city to participate in yoga, often times including neighborhood recreation centers
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Dancing – with ballroom dancing being the latest craze, maybe you can get into shape, take up a new hobby and make new friends
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Home Repair and Garden and Yard-work – raking the lawn, planting trees and pushing a power lawn mower all are good activities that have the dual benefit of beautifying your home
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Shoveling Light Snow
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Moderate Housework – such as floor scrubbing, cleaning out the garage and sweeping
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Actively Playing with Children
Examples of vigorous-intensity physical activity include:
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Race-walking
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Jogging/Running
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Bicycling – unlike the moderate activity category, it’s important to increase intensity by exercising on steep, uphill terrain
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Step Aerobics
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Playing a Competitive Sport – there are a number of clubs in the Chicago area that coordinate team sports, including beach volleyball, softball and flag football, as well as marathon an triathlon training
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Gardening and Yard-work – taking this to a higher level of intensity would include pushing a non-motorized lawnmower, digging ditches, chopping wood, etc.
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Shoveling Heavy Snow
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Heavy Housework – moving heavy furniture and carrying objects weighing more than 25 lbs. up a flight of stairs
