We’re now a few weeks into National Nutrition Month and I thought I should touch on the last principle on the list: Be physically active your way. It may be last on the list but that doesn’t make it any less important. Some of you may be thinking “you don’t eat physical activity!”, but the fact is that physical activity goes hand in hand with your metabolic health. How much you move influences the amount and type of food your body needs. Being physically active can also help influence many health concerns such as Diabetes, Cholesterol, Blood Pressure, and Heart Disease just to name a few.

How much, and what types of activity you incorporate into your day will vary between individuals. There are basic guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Controlthat state we should all be getting a combination of aerobic and muscle strengthening activities every week. I would also add something that incorporates stretching and balance (which is often included in some muscle strengthening classes). At a bare minimum, adults should be getting about 150 minutes of moderate aerobics (like walking) per week and 2 days of muscle strengthening.

So how can you apply these recommendations? Choose activities that you like, then start by doing what you can, for 10 minutes at a time. The 150 minutes of walking for example is just over 20 minutes a day; one 10 minute walk in the morning and one in the afternoon. If you have no experience with strength training, it might be best to meet with a personal trainer to get started. Once you have learned some basics it is easy to add these moves into your day; you can even try fitting them in during commercials while you watch TV in the evening. If you are currently doing very little, whatever amount of activity that you add will be beneficial!

Once again, these recommendations are the minimum for health but for even greater benefits you need to do more. The key to increasing physical activity and improving fitness is in doing things you enjoy. Try lots of different options before you say that exercise isn’t for you. If you hate running that’s fine, try biking, dancing, swimming or hiking instead! Join group activities or go solo for some meditative alone time. There are many options out there to choose from so get creative. What you choose isn’t the important thing, just get out there and move!