RUNNING EXERCISES

Admit it. You know that you can improve your health with exercise and regular physical activity. It's been well documented that even moderate amounts of exercise, done consistently, are beneficial at any age.

Exercise helps reduce the effects of aging, boosts energy, relieves stress and anxiety, and lowers your risk of developing coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and certain types of cancer. Physical activity can also help you sleep better, control your weight, keep your joints, ligaments, and tendons flexible, and much more.

So why are so many of us physically inactive? - "The number-one excuse people make is that they don't have enough time," says Dennis Kaaihue, coordinator of the Lifestyle Program for Kaiser Permanente in Hawaii. "What that means is exercise is not a priority for them. You have to make it a priority in your life. Some kind of physical activity should be part of your health care responsibility to yourself."

Changing for the better - Racquel Pelayo has made physical activity a priority in her life. Two years ago, she was diagnosed with diabetes. "I felt like I had been given a death sentence," recalls the 41-year-old Kaiser Permanente member, a homemaker and mother of two from Southern California. "But my husband was very, very supportive and said he was going to help me through this."

She attended Kaiser Permanente diabetes health education classes, where exercise and eating a healthful diet were stressed. "I couldn't believe how much information I was getting. After the classes, I knew what I was supposed to eat, and I stopped feeling like I was going to die."

Pelayo adopted a more positive attitude, and she started walking. The first month was exhausting, she says.

"At first I was very tired. I'd come back from walking, take a shower, and do my chores at home. Then I'd rest, even fall asleep. I had to remember to wake myself up so I could pick up my kids from school," she recalls.

Still, she kept at it, gradually increasing her walking distance. Today, Pelayo walks four miles a day. And she's lost 20 pounds. "I have more energy and I feel much lighter now," she says.

Her efforts paid off. Pelayo no longer takes medication for her diabetes, and her cholesterol has dropped. She also makes fewer trips to the doctor.

Think differently about exercise - Going from a couch potato to a physically active person requires a change in your attitude about exercise and physical activity. Getting in shape doesn't mean you have to spend hours in a gym, exercising vigorously and sweating profusely. The goal is to become more active, not necessarily to become an athlete.

Look for creative new ways to include some kind of physical activity in your daily life, and keep a positive attitude. You'll stay motivated if you choose something you enjoy. Whatever exercise you select should make use of your arms and legs, and incorporate a steady, rhythmic pace.

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine both recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate activity a day, most days of the week. But even smaller amounts of exercise can reap significant health benefits. What's important is that you do something regularly and stick with it.