Exercise: Just Do It

While dieting alone can shed pounds, a proper workout will maximize your health. The American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day, five days a week or 20 minutes of vigorous exercise a day, three days a week. To lose weight, you’ll need to exceed that recommendation—up to 60 or 90 minutes of exercise each session.

It may be hard to exercise because you’re bored with the idea of running or going to the gym. Those aren’t the only activities that you can do to lose weight. These activities all clock in at the 150-calorie mark:

• 30 minutes of water aerobics
• 15 minutes shoveling snow
• 20 minutes playing basketball
• 30 minutes fast dancing
• 45 minutes in the garden

Time and intensity translate into calories, so the more you shake it, the more you'll lose weight. Strive to incorporate activity into every aspect of your life and you’ll find that exercising is a breeze.

Remember, the average office worker only gets about 3,000 to 4,000 steps in every day. To lose weight, you should strive to get in at least 10,000 to 15,000 steps in a day, which amounts to just about 30 minutes of exercise every day. Get a pedometer and start walking!