Fitness Fundamentals
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- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Eat right.
- Stay physically active.
- Quit smoking.
- Control your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Maintain a healthy weight
Being overweight increases your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Your doctor can tell you what you should weight for your height. To stay at a healthy weight, you need to balance the number of calories you eat with the number you burn off by your activities. You can get to your healthy weight and stay there by doing two things: eating right and being physically active.
Eat right
Eating the right foods and the right amounts can help you live a longer, healthier life. Eat a variety of foods, including:
- Vegetables, especially dark-green leafy and deep-yellow vegetables, such as spinach or carrots.
- Fruits, such as melons, berries, and citrus fruits, or juices, such as orange or grapefruit.
- Meat, poultry, eggs, fish, and dried beans (for example, navy, kidney, or black), especially products low in fat, such as lean meat and poultry prepared without skin.
- Dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, and cheese, especially low-fat or fat-free dairy products.
- Grains, especially whole grains, and legumes, such as lima beans or green peas.
Keeping Active
Physical activity can help prevent: Heart disease, Obesity, High blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, Osteoporosis, Mental health problems such as depression Physical activity helps you feel better overall.
What to Do?
All kinds of physical activity will help you stay healthy, whether it is moderate or vigorous. It's a good idea to aim for at least moderate activity-such as brisk walking, raking leaves, house cleaning, or playing with children-for 20 to 30 minutes most days of the week. Generally, the more active you are, the healthier you will become.
Some regular activities, like gardening, vacuuming or walking, can help you reach your fitness goals. You'll also learn about the four building blocks of fitness -endurance, strength, flexibility and balance--and how to integrate them in to a fitness plan that works for you.
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