Exercise and You
	Regular physical activity can help: Reduce feelings of stress, anxiety and depression Improve your sleep to make you feel better Boost self-confidence by improving your appearance Help lose those extra pounds and maintain a healthy weight Reduce your risk of heart disease Increase your good cholesterol (HDL) and lower triglycerides Lower your blood pressure and risk of stroke Control blood sugar levels and help to prevent and control diabetes Improve bone density, therefore reducing the risk of osteoporosis Begin your exercise program by just putting one foot in front of the other.  Increase exercise time by 1 minute each day.  Gradually build up to 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity.  Brisk walking, dancing, bicycling, rope jumping, playing actively with your children and stair climbing all qualify for moderate intensity activity.  Remember that health benefits are easily reached when you perform your exercise most every day of the week. Once you build up to 30 minutes of exercise, it is important to warm up before beginning.  This will prevent muscle soreness and injury.  Begin warming up by slowly walking for 2-3 minutes and then stretch for 2-3 minutes.  The stretches should target your upper and lower body.  Then begin your 30 minute exercise session.  When you have finished, then begin cooling down by walking slowly for 2-3 minutes and again stretch for 2-3 minutes.  The cool down session gently decreases your heart rate and blood pressure and again helps to decrease muscle soreness and prevent muscle injury.   When you get in the habit of including exercise in your life, there will be times you will need extra encouragement to stay motivated. Choose a wide variety of activities to keep your workouts interesting Choose exercise activities that you actually enjoy Work out with a friend Set realistic short and long term goals and chart your progress Reward yourself when you meet your goals Change the location in which you work out, you may enjoy it more If you fall off the activity wagon, just get back on track and begin again.