[Assentesy]

In our newfound zeal for exercise we might tend to overdo things and reach levels that cause us to burn out or stop putting in the time we need.

I try to do about an hour of moderate exercise, such as walking, about five days a week. I walk about 4-4.5 miles in that time. That is time and effort that I can sustain. Someone younger might want to do more; but I believe that overall moderation is the key.

The goal of exercise for most of us, is to promote daily activity and increased metabolism rates. That's what is important to long term weight control.

So set your goals accordingly. If you have been overweight much of your life and have not exercised in the past, work your way up carefully to about an hour of moderate exercise. And when you reach the level of time and effort that you can sustain for the long term, stop there and maintain at that level. Any other activity that you can do during the day that creates movement and aerobic effort is good too. But that hour is where you are giving your heart a moderate and healthy workout.

The human heart gets about one billion beats in its lifetime. A fit person is going to have a slower resting heart rate, so the bursts of moderate exercise will more than balance out. A person who is overweight and not fit is going to use up those beats faster because the heart will be beating faster constantly. That's aside from the stress of high blood pressure. So moderate exercise that helps you lose weight and stay basically fit, will be a vast improvement over the habits of the past. You do not have to become a fitness champ to dramatically improve your life and health. Just get to it and start a good, daily program of exercise that you can sustain for life.

Good Luck!