If you need to lose weight, you and your doctor or registered nutrition- ist can design a healthy diet plan, which will involve determining a level of calorie intake that is appropriate for you—but one that contains at least 1,200 calories per day. Your exercise plan should ensure that you burn more calories than you consume. The healthiest and most effective way to lose weight is to limit the energy consumed in food, and then increase the amount of energy burned off by exercise, to achieve a slow but steady weight loss. Most experts recommend losing 1 to 2 pounds per week.
To lose 1 pound in 1 week, you need to burn about 3,500 excess calories; that is, you need to burn about 500 calories more per day than you consume. Dieters are plagued by the plateau phenomenon. When you achieve about a 10 percent weight loss, your body compensates by slowing your metabolism. It is important to keep exercising and not get discouraged during this time.

Exercise as a Part of Every Day

Your plans to exercise more are much more likely to succeed if you think of exercise as a pleasure rather than an obligation. It is important to choose activities that you enjoy and then ?nd ways to make them eas- ier to do often. Here are some tips to keep you going:
• Develop a variety of physical activities that you can choose from so that you don’t get bored. In addition to a walking routine, alter- nate sessions of some goal-oriented activity like gardening or a more intensive activity like bicycling to keep you interested.
• Find a friend or family member to exercise with you. You’ll both enjoy the sociability and both get the physical benefits. Wear comfortable, appropriate clothing when you work out, including shoes that ?t properly and suit your activity.
• Listen to music or watch television to keep yourself entertained.
• Avoid overdoing it. You don’t need to be an athlete, and you don’t need to exhaust yourself. Start with low-level or moderate exercise, then gradually increase the intensity and the time you spend, until you are up to a half hour or a full hour per day, most days.
• Look for ways to make your daily activities more physical. Do your own housework or yard work instead of hiring someone. Walk to the store instead of driving. Choose the long, hilly route instead of the shortcut.
You can also get more active in small ways that may not increase your heart rate but will burn up energy throughout the day. Instead of look- ing for ways to save effort, be imaginative about making yourself more active, whether you are at home, at the of?ce, or on vacation. Here are a few tips to get you started, but you can think of dozens more:
• Stop using the TV remote. And if you want a drink while you’re watching TV, don’t ask someone else to get it for you—get up and walk to the kitchen.
• Stand up and walk around while you talk on the phone. If you are waiting at a train station or airport, walk around instead of sitting.
• In a parking lot, choose a space farther away from the store instead of the one closest. Or park several blocks from your destination and make a round trip to and from your errand.
• Take every opportunity to climb stairs, at home or in public. Take the stairs instead of an elevator or an escalator.
• Participate in charity events that require you to walk or play a sport.
• When you’re traveling, take advantage of a hotel swimming pool or exercise room. Also, schedule a walking tour of a new city, rather than driving around.
• Consider buying exercise equipment like a stationary bicycle and use it while you listen to music or books on tape or watch TV.
• Make sure you are getting exercise during recreational time— walk instead of using a golf cart, rent a rowboat or a canoe instead of a motorboat, or play singles tennis instead of doubles.
• Purchase a pedometer, and walk with a goal of 10,000 steps a day.
Every 2,000 steps equal about a mile.

Exercising if You Are Older or Disabled

If vigorous activities are not an option for you because of advanced age or physical disabilities, some daily exercise will still bring health bene- ?ts. If you can walk, garden, or swim, gradually increase to longer ses- sions to get more bene?t without overdoing it. Some sports like table tennis, croquet, or shuf?eboard are excellent ways to get moving. If you are in a wheelchair, you can spend 30 to 40 minutes a day doing arm exercises or actively using the chair to get some good exercise. If possi- ble, join a class that offers a modi?ed exercise plan that suits your abil- ity. Such classes may be available through a senior citizen center, a retirement community, a hospital, or a YMCA.

Where Do I Start?

If you are inactive, any level of activity is a start in the right direction. A basic walking plan that increases your level of exercise gradually is an excellent beginning (see page 81). The key is to start slowly and build up; the goal is not to start a program quickly that you will need to stop; it is to develop a lifetime habit of regular exercise. The benefits of being more active far outweigh any risks for most people. Talk to your doctor before starting to exercise more if:
• You have ever had any kind of a heart problem, especially a heart attack.
• You have a family history of premature coronary artery disease.

• You have diabetes.
• You have problems with your bones or joints, such as osteoporosis or arthritis.
• You have high blood pressure and are not on medication.
• You are very overweight.
• You have high levels of cholesterol in your blood.
• You smoke.
• You are over 60 and you are not accus- tomed to any regular exercise.