"You are what you eat ...
Or how much you eat.
you may have an active life, but if you weigh more than you should, your total activity is not enough for the amount of food you're eating. It is simple science - calories in vs calories out. If you eat more than you burn, you will gain weight, and if you burn more than you eat your should lose weight. One hundred calories is one hundred coalories. It may not be healthy or fueling your body correctly, but it is simple math: 100 = 100.
But there's also an important difference between activity and exercise. Activity is important to reduce your risk of disease and burn calories, but it takes exercise to get fit.
· If your regular activity is at a normal walking pace, you're not stressing your heart and blood vessels very much because they adapt so quickly. Throw in some intervals of fast walking or stair climbing.
· If it's in short bursts, like sawing wood (with a hand saw) or running the vacuum cleaner, you're not getting the sustained activity you need to build stamina.
· If it involves mostly bending over to pick up toys or toddlers, or moving boxes in a warehouse, you're developing muscles in your lower back. You should work on your abdominals as well by doing crunches to balance the back and front. That prevents lower-back pain.
I could go on, but I think you get the point. Just 10, 20, or 30 minutes is tough to carve out of a busy day, but if you want a better body, you must find the time--no matter how active you are."
information based on the article from - Dr. Chet - Better Life Institute
The Better Life Body Bulletin
Volume 3 Number 97
For more information on this subject, look under events for "Portion Distortion" lectures near you.