Reprinted from the Health District's quarterly publication mailed to district residents

Having trouble getting motivated to exercise? You might try snacking.

That’s right, snacking.

Let’s be clear: No one is suggesting that chips and cookies will inspire you to take a walk. Rather, “snacking” refers to breaking exercise into bite-sized chunks, making it less daunting.
“The beauty of exercise is, you don’t have to do it all at once,” says Dr. Bruce Cooper, medical director at the Health District of Northern Larimer County. “You also don’t have to be a marathon runner to gain health benefits from exercising.”

Oh, how parents rejoice when their baby takes those first steps. As adults, we do little celebrating over the steps we take. That is the problem.

“In our community, only one in three adults get adequate exercise (30 minutes of physical activity at least five days a week) to be able to lower their cardiovascular risk,” Dr. Cooper says, referring to data from the Health District’s 2001 Community Health Survey.

Besides the heart benefits, walking or other physical activity may lower the risks for osteoporosis, colon cancer, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, depression and anxiety.

Building physical activity into your day is a good way for busy people to find the time to exercise without sacrificing productivity at home or in the workplace.

“Be aware of alternatives to things you do every day that could incorporate physical activity – whether you take the stairs instead of the elevator, or take 10 minutes to go for a brisk walk with one of your workmates. That’s the physical activity we’re talking about,” Dr. Cooper says.

It’s a simple change in mind-set, away from the “all-or-nothing” approach, that could make the difference between someone being fit and someone being sedentary.

To get started, try the following:
• Choose an activity you like. You are more likely to stick with something you enjoy. If you are sedentary or have risk factors for heart disease, talk with your doctor before starting an exercise program.
• Keep track of how much activity you are doing. This helps you make sure that you are getting at least 30 minutes of exercise a day.
• Set a goal. Figure out where you are at and where you want to be. Reward yourself for achievement.

Another tool — the pedometer — is gaining momentum. The Health District recently started Health District On the Move, a pedometer-based program for businesses and organizations in northern Larimer County. It promotes walking as a health benefit. Participants log their steps for 14 weeks and aim to increase their steps by 20 percent each week, with a long-range goal of getting 10,000 steps a day. (Note: The program ended in August 2005; see box above.)

“Pedometers are very simple, inexpensive and strong motivational tools – and they’re fun,” says program coordinator Kathy Schlepp.

The program, which is suited for companies large or small, encourages employees to walk outside of work as well as “take 10,” or short breaks on the job, once or twice a day. The only cost is buying a pedometer ($12), while the gains can stretch past the physical to stronger work relationships.

“It’s a good program for getting people on the same page, working together more cohesively,” Schlepp says.

Mike Donaldson, 62, understands the value of exercise — and not just for himself. “My employees are much better employees if they walk a lot or work out,” says the owner of Donaldson & Co.
Jennifer Hays, executive assistant at the local real estate development company, is grateful for her boss’s support. She finds a 15-to-20-minute walk to be “mentally refreshing.”

“Mike really pushes us to walk,” says Hays, 58, one of eight Donaldson employees to participate in Health District On the Move. “It’s not uncommon for him to say: ‘We’re going for a walk.’ You have to have your shoes here. Sometimes we talk business along the way.”

The issue of obesity is driving efforts to get people moving. The Colorado Trust is investing $400,000 a year for three years in community-based programs that aim to prevent obesity and increase physical activity. Health District On the Move is one of 10 programs in northwestern Colorado to receive such a grant, administered by the local United Way.

One obesity expert hopes a “step culture,” or revolution, will result.

“We need to create an environment with constant reminders all around, for all of us to increase our physical activity and get more steps,” says Dr. James Hill of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

He inspired the Colorado On the Move initiative, which seeks to do just that: get Colorado moving.