How Much Exercise and for How Long?
by Drew Rivetty

Good question. This is the time of year when we head for the gym to say goodbye to all the cookie dough that's worn out its welcome. But come 5 or 6 weeks down the road, your local gym might be deserted because most gym members still look the same despite their miles and miles logged on the treadmill. That's when people give up and just buy a bigger pair of pants, believing that they can't change the way they are. But chances are, they just didn't do enough. Before you start thinking I'm being unreasonable, let's look at this in the context of a different discipline. How long do you think it takes someone learn to speak fluent Chinese? Most likely, a lifetime of immersion in China or Chinese culture. All of those characters and tonal sounds can't be learned with only 3 hours of practice per week. I've studied several languages only to learn the students who could put in 4 to 6 hours a day, every day, were the ones who could master the language in a few months. That's right, 4 to 6 hours a day.

Well, nobody has that kind of time to exercise, much less the energy, right? But I'm challenging you to do as much as you can anyway. Here are some guidelines on how to incorporate more exercise into your day and some examples of people who made it happen. Go Hard for One Month When I was a kid growing up in Tennessee, I would spend the entire day outside playing with my friends. We would start in the morning, take a break for lunch, go back outside until dinner, and then play some more. As adults we no longer do this, though it's not unheard of. Your typical office worker will hit the ski slopes for a whole weekend of exercise from sunrise to sunset. The gorgeous scenery takes their minds off of the marathon workout session that is ongoing, but nevertheless, they are exercising 4 to 12 hours a day. So, look over your schedule and try to find a couple hours here and there throughout the week that you didn't think existed before and then add those hours up. Start easy and shoot for 5 hours in one week. But if you are already at that level, shoot for 10, 15, 20 and so forth. A chunk of it could come from playing on the beach or at a park all day on the weekend. You could also try adding some hours in the mornings before work or perhaps something light when you return from work. And then, for one month, try your hardest to reach these goals. All I'm asking for is one month - give it everything you got and don't leave anything on the table. For one month, set aside your partying and road trips and late night TV watching and just focus on exercising. And why not next month? Here's How to Do It For the sake of your joint health, and your sanity, it is highly recommended that you periodize your workouts, meaning add some variety. Here is a list of activities that should be rotating in your weight loss playlist: Weight lifting: Resistance exercise builds muscle that you will need to burn more calories. Lift weights or do bodyweight exercises 2 to 5 times per week. Interval training: This form of "sprinting" or moving fast in short bursts can be done over the course of 20 minutes on a treadmill, stationary bike, stairclimber, sidewalk, beach, etc. Three sessions or more of High Intensity Training, or HIT, works wonders. Light exercise: Jogging, hiking, walking, any movement at a steady pace. See if you can squeeze in an extra 30-45 minutes per day on your lunch break, after dinner, or try walking to work. Sports: Basketball, tennis, soccer, frisbee, any game that makes you sweat and last a few hours. Playing games and being competitive will take your mind off of exercising. The weekends are a great time to squeeze this in. Creative activity: For one month, try something new that you haven't done before like yoga or kickboxing classes. Many places offer free trial sessions, so there's no financial committment here. But who knows, you may find something you like. A Little Help From NEPA NEPA stands for Non Exercise Physical Activity. These are all the things we typically avoid doing because, face it, we're lazy. I'm talking about taking the stairs instead of the elevator, doing yard work and house chores, and many other such activities. They may seem insignificant but they do burn calories and keep your metabolism motors running. Our bodies were not meant to be sedentary, and as the phrase goes, "Use it or lose it."

Here are just a few of many possibilities: Carry a hand basket of groceries rather than pushing a cart at the store. Park as far away as you can from where you are going (nobody wants these parking spaces anyway). Walk your dog along different routes every day, increasing your pace as you further your distance so that you can make it back in the same amount of time. Fold your laundry standing while watching your favorite TV shows. Drink more water at work. The extra bathroom breaks will get you up out of your desk more often!

See, this is totally doable, right? Exercise 1 hour in the morning, 30 minutes of walking at lunch, and an hour of activity at night equals 2.5 hours a day, or 17.5 hours a week. Plus, you can do even more on the weekends perhaps if you can schedule some sports activities. Well, who's the pro athlete now? Remember, it's only for one month, so give it all you got and leave nothing on the table.