Most people believe that they are active. This is especially true for someone who is doing a lot of things. Enduring a hectic day at work provides the illusion of activity but much of the day may have been spent sitting in an office chair. Even so, someone may be ravenous at lunch and walks a bit to get a sandwich, and then he sits some more, and then perhaps walks to a commuter train and sits again. When he arrives home, he plops down in his favorite chair and is actually tired even though he sat most of the day.

While daily activities represent a good start, it is not nearly as active as many organizations like the American College of Sports Medicine or the American Heart Association say you should be. General minimum recommendations from these types of organizations suggest that we should engage in physical aerobic activity for about 30 minutes per day most days of the week, and that assumes you are at your proper weight. You need to expend even more energy if you want to lose weight.

So how active are you really? While the word exercise may conjure a picture of an activity that is not very appealing, it does not have to be that way. Don’t think of exercise as a Biggest Loser workout, or one where you have to be inside a gym. Do things you enjoy like bicycle riding, skating, skiing, or walking in the park on a beautiful spring day. Exercise need not be complicated. But you need to do something that is over and above your normal activities, and it must be at a higher level of intensity. Then you will burn more calories and begin to lose weight. You will also be taking good care of your body.

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