For Your Health

Exercise Guidelines

Consult your medical doctor before starting an exercise program for a medical evaluation and additional guidelines. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends a medical evaluation including an exercise stress test if you:

• Are an apparently healthy man age 40 or older or a woman age 50 or older.
• Have two or more cardiac risk factors:
  • Family history of diabetes
  • Overweight
  • High cholesterol
  • High blood pressure
  • Smoker
• Have any of the symptoms:
  • chest pain, extreme fatigue or weakness
  • shortness of breath
  • palpitations (rapid fluttering or pounding heart rate)
  • dizziness
  • bone or joint pain/discomfort
• Have known heart, lung or metabolic disease

Keys to Success
The key to a successful exercise program is choosing an activity that you will enjoy. Even moderate levels of activity have important health benefits.

• If you have been inactive for a while, start with walking or swimming at a comfortable pace.
• Gradually move to more vigorous activity.
• Decide if you want to exercise alone or with other people. Do you prefer individual activities such as swimming, or team sports such as soccer or basketball? Could you be interested in a group aerobics class? Is companionship important (for example, racquetball or ballroom dancing)?
• Consider your preference for exercising outdoors or in your home. Outdoor activities offer variety in scenery and weather. Indoor activities offer shelter from weather and convenience. If your activity can be seriously affected by weather, consider choosing a second, alternate indoor activity so that you can stay on your exercise schedule.
• Schedule exercise as a regular part of your routine. Consider your preference for morning, afternoon, or evening activity.
• If you miss a day, don't be too hard on yourself; make up for it the next time you exercise.

If you choose activities you like, you will be more likely to exercise regularly and enjoy the benefits of physical activity.