May 22, 2001

COLLEGE STATION – No excuses now: Getting the exercise necessary for good health doesn't have to be expensive or time consuming. Even couch potatoes can improve their physical fitness without breaking a sweat.

That's the word from Dr. Carol Rice, associate professor and Extension health specialist with Texas A&M University and the university's Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health. One option she advised is setting up a treadmill or some other kind of exercise equipment in front of the television set, and using regular TV-watching time as exercise time too.

"For those of us who hate to sweat, you can set a fan up" off to the side to use for keeping cool while burning calories, she added with a laugh.

Exercise comes in two basic forms, Rice said: aerobic and resistance. Using weights such as telephone books, cans of food or barbells to improve upper body strength is a resistance exercise that can easily be done while sitting on a couch or in a recliner. Resistance exercises "build muscles ... it helps metabolism, keeps muscles strong and helps maintain muscle tone when we get older" because as the body ages, muscles naturally shrink and fat naturally increases, she said. "Lifting (some kind of weights) can be done while sitting down."

Some people, however, have medical conditions that limit their ability to exercise. Perhaps arthritis makes ordinary exercise painful. In that case, "swimming is an option," Rice said. Many communities have parks or some other facility that provide swimming pools. Many even have exercise programs designed for people with arthritis or other medical conditions. Water-based exercise provides a good workout without a lot of stress on painful joints.

But for most healthy – but sedentary – people, the best form of exercise is walking. That's right, walking. No exercise that involves a lot of complicated equipment or gym memberships is any better for the body than plain and simple walking.

Walking is good and healthy on so many levels, Rice said. Not only is it great exercise, but "it reduces depression and stress; delays the onset of diabetes and helps people with diabetes control their blood glucose; helps lower the risk of osteoporosis ..."

She told of a study that compared two groups of women – one group undertook a six- to eight-week-long program of walking, and the other group heard a program about walking's benefits. Ten years later, the two groups were compared. "The walkers were more likely to still be walking," Rice said. "They had lower incidence of hospitalization, of falling, of heart disease, of diabetes ..." In short, the group of walkers were still much healthier than the group who only heard about the benefits of walking.

Ideally, walking and other forms of exercise achieve the best results if they are done in at least 30 minute increments, at least five times a week. But, as Rice pointed out, "The more walking the better, but anything you do is better than nothing. If you can do it in 10 minute increments and it adds up to 30 minutes, that's almost as good as if you did it all in a row."

In other words, every little bit helps. And these little bits can easily be incorporated into a daily routine. Rice suggested:

- Parking further away from the office or classroom and walking across the parking lot or garage;

- Taking a break and going for a quick 10- or 15-minute walk;

- Using the stairs instead of the elevator.

These and other suggestions are easy to start and won't disturb a work or school schedule. "There's so many things you can do," she said.

If exercise at home is the preference, Rice said a series of armchair exercises is available on video. "A lot of long-term care facilities (offer) armchair exercises (to residents). They are quite good workouts. You also can do them while you are at your desk."

So much of the quality of personal health is based on personal choices, Rice said. "At least 50 percent of health factors are due to lifestyle. That means staying away from tobacco products, limiting drinks to no more than two a day, maintaining a normal weight, getting enough sleep, and having friends and family members around for support.

"Only 10 percent – although it's an important 10 percent – is based on access to a health care system."

The other 40 percent of personal health quality is divided evenly between environment and genetics, she said.

That's why even couch potatoes need to choose some form of exercise, she said. It doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive. As the commercial says: Just do it.