Can you believe it? Just 10 minutes a day of exercise leads to a much healthier lifestyle. Education motivates children to want to learn more. So, here are a few disturbing statistics that may boost your motivation level:
- 159 million (69%) American adults are either overweight or obese.1
- 29 million (9.1%) Americans suffer from a form of Diabetes. That percentage catapults to nearly 26% of American Seniors who are living with Diabetes.2
- Nearly 87 million Americans are living with the after-effects of a stroke or a cardiovascular disease, which claims more lives than ALL forms of cancer combined!1
- 80 million (33%) American adults have high blood pressure (HBP), and nearly have of those afflicted do NOT have their HBP under control.1
- Less than 1% of adults, and effectively 0% of children meet the American Heart Association’s definition for an ideal healthy diet.1
Dismal statistics indeed. So where can a person who does not subscribe to a healthy lifestyle start in order to lessen the negative effects of a unhealthy choice and boost their overall health? Rekha Mankad, MD of The Mayo Clinic suggests that beginning with a basic Eat 5-Move 10-Sleep 8 program can dramatically improve health, especially for your heart3:
Eat 5: We all know that a healthy lifestyle begins – and effectively remains – in the kitchen. Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables EVERY day. It’s simple: include a serving of fruits/vegetables with each of your three main meals, and a serving in between meals. There is now evidence that Celiac Disease may be related to Heart Disease, so reducing gluten intake may provide even more healthy benefits than previously thought.
Move 10: 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity every week – 10 minutes per day – can reduce the chance of heart disease by 50%! The Government recommends at least 30 minutes of moderately intense physical exercise daily, equating to a mere half hour of moving instead of lounging on the couch. However, the Mayo Clinic suggests that for those just starting out, a mere 10 daily minutes of exercise can make a difference. So get off that sofa and move! Take the stairs instead of the elevator, spend 10 minutes of your lunch hour on a brisk, refreshing walk. Small commitment = big results.
Sleep 8: Now you can rest. Shoot for eight hours of quality sleep each night. Adequate rest is extremely important for overall optimum health!
The 2015 holiday season is quickly approaching, and that often translates to a solid six weeks of elaborate meals, sweet treats, caloric beverages, and a packing on an average of three to seven unwanted pounds. Just in time for the festivities, the Department of Health and Human Services recently published its Physical Activity Guidelines (PAG). These are the same guidelines that the American Council on Exercise (ACE) has been encouring Americans to do since it began in 1985:
Engage in 2.5 hours of moderate intensity aerobic exercise each week!
30 minutes a day, five days a week is all it takes to substantially reduce chances of early death, and prevent serious medical conditions including HBP and Type 2 Diabetes, not to mention improve bone health and mental well-being. Enjoy a brisk walk, ballroom dancing, or water aerobics – even gardening – and almost immediately begin realizing substantial benefits to your overall health. Oh, and one more crucial step:
Cut out the sodium – it’s a silent killer!
1). Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-At-a-Glance. Retrieved October 12, 2015 from the American Heart Association Website.
2). Statistics About Diabetes. Retrieved October 12, 2015 from the American Diabetes Association Website.
3). Healthy Heart for Life: Avoiding Heart Disease. Retrieved October 12, 2015 from the Mayo Clinic Website.
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