Kenneth Gardner

Regular physical activity and exercise are important weight management factors that should be a part of everyone's lifestyle. Physical activity and exercise help to burn calories and allow our bodies to use food for energy instead of storing it as fat.

Becoming more active involves incorporating more physical activity into our daily life. We should follow the recommendations of accumulating 30 minutes or more of moderate to intense physical activity like walking, jogging, swimming and gardening on most or preferably all days of the week.

Begin by using every opportunity to become more active. You could, for example, take the stairs instead of using the elevator or walk or cycle to the shop instead of driving. Over time, the results will become noticeable as even a small increase in activity level can help to maintain our current weight or help us to lose a significant amount of weight.

Burn calories

As the days pass and we gradually become more active, begin a structured exercise programme that includes cardio-respiratory endurance, resistance and stretching exercises. Moderate to intense endurance exercise, if performed often for a lengthy duration, can also burn a significant amount of calories. Endurance exercises tend to increase the rate at which we use calories after we have completed an exercising session, burning an additional five to 180 calories, depending on the intensity of the workout.

If resistant exercises are performed correctly they will help to build muscle mass, and more muscles results into a higher metabolic rate. Individuals may use resistant training to maintain their muscle mass during a period of weight loss, thus helping them to avoid a significant drop in resting metabolic rate which is associated with weight loss.

Regular physical activity maintained throughout life makes weight management easier. A programme of moderate to intense exercise is easier to maintain over a long time. The sooner we establish good habits, the better we will be able to control our weight. The key to success is making exercise an integral part of our lifestyle.

Gardening is good exercise. Here, students from Independence City Primary School, in Portmore, St. Catherine, remove weeds from their plot. - File

Here is a list of barbell and dumb-bell exercises for you to do:

Military press (shoulder exercise)

Stand with a barbell supported at shoulder level in front of your body.

Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder grip.

Inhale while pressing the weight overhead to a straight arm position.

Exhale while lowering the weight to the starting position.

Bent-arm flyes (chest exercise)

Lie on your back on a flat exercise bench.

Hold one dumb-bell in each hand above the shoulders, with your arms slightly bent.

Inhale as you move the dumb-bell away from each other and lower them toward the floor.

Exhale as you return the dumbbells to the starting position.

Standing triceps extensions (triceps exercise)

Stand and hold a dumb-bell overhead with each hand.

Inhale as you lower the weight behind your head.

Exhale as you extend both arms and push the weight back to the starting position.

Bench step (leg exercise)

Take a standing position with a dumb-bell in each hand.

Place one foot on the bench in front of you.

Using your hips and leg muscles, lift yourself up until your leg is straight.

Slowly lower yourself to the star-ting position using the same leg.

Kenneth Gardner is an exercise physiologist at the G.C. Foster College of Physical Education: email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.