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How much exercise do you need to do? At a minimum, you should exercise 30 minutes a day. Now, before you start complaining about "I don't have enough time to do that!" - let me explain something very important. You get the same benefit from exercise done in short spurts as you do from exercising in a full 30 minute session. For example, it is just as effective, from a health point of view, to exercise 10 minutes, 3 times a day as it is to exercise in a single 30 minute block. So, if you'll be really honest with yourself, you really have no excuses about time problems. When you go to work in the morning, park as far away from your work as possible (and safe) and walk 10 minutes around the block or the parking lot before going in to start work. Bingo! Right there, you have done a third of your exercise. If you go the store on the way home, park your car as far away from the store entrance as you can and walk around the parking lot for 10 minutes before going in to shop. Two-thirds done! Before you take your evening bath (do you really need to soak in a tub for 30 minutes every night?), stand in the bedroom, turn on some snappy music and walk briskly in place for 10 minutes. Done! You have completed your 30 minutes minimum of daily exercise.

A phrase I absolutely wear out (and, yes, I do get tired of myself saying it, too) is "This is not brain surgery. We are not landing on Mars. This is not as complicated as you would like to make it." And it is not. If you just stop looking for excuses and start looking for solutions, you can get through your perceived "time problem." Find opportunities for sneaking in a few minutes of exercise and they will start popping up at the most surprising times.

It also goes back to setting rules and making goals. You can't let this slide. The words of the warden in the wonderful movie, "Cool Hand Luke," should constantly echo in your mind: "You need to get your mind right!" Have a long talk with yourself and make some rules that you will follow. These should include a commitment to yourself (you owe it to yourself and you are worth it). Let nothing sway you from your path. Put off other things - not your exercise.

Set your reasonable goals and expectations. If you chose to walk for exercise, don't think you are going to walk 4 miles the first day. That will take a minimum of an hour, even at a brisk pace. If you decide to use a gym, don't plan on spending 90 minutes there the first session. Set lower goals and progressively and slowly add on as you progress.

Editorial follows: I can't tell you how many times people come into the clinic, all full of fire and vinegar, and ready - and fully expecting - to reach their goal in 2 weeks. I feel like the driver at the wheel of a brand new car. My hardest job is to slow the car down. What I see too often is that overweight people come in and expect to become marathon walkers the first week. What often happens is they go out in their first or second walk, go too fast or too far, their joints weaken, and they sprain they ankle, knee, or back. Then, they can't do anything for 7-10 days while they recover from their "overuse" injury. In that recovery time, their fire goes out, and they drop out. End of story. Start slow. Undershoot rather than overshoot. I would rather you set your initial goals too low - walk around the block every day for the first week, then around the block twice the second week, etc.- than to go out and injure yourself. [End of editorial]

Break up your exercise. You can find time to exercise if you look hard for the chance. Here are some easy example:

Use the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. When you are at home, climb to the second floor as often as possible. For variety, take the steps 2 at a time, or walk up them a little faster.
Walk when you can. Pack an extra block from your destination or at the rear of the parking lot. Look for the longest, rather than the shortest, route.
Get up from your chair to change the TV channels. In fact, "lose" all the remote controls you have. Lose the garage door opener remote and get out of your car and open the garage door yourself.
Avoid drive-through windows, especially those at fast-food restaurants. Park your car and walk in.
When unloading groceries from your car, don't see how many bags you can carry in at once. Carry in one bag at a time.
Start a hobby like gardening that makes you move.And, of you do take this hobby, grow your own vegetables and serve them to your family.
Start seeing chores like cutting the grass, dusting and vacuuming as opportunities to exercise. Turn on some music and get to dancing through your housework. Boogie or disco through your chores! (You might not want to dance while mowing the lawn; the neighbors might think you've totally lost your mind. On second thought, who cares!)
Turn off the television and start playing with the kids. They can be the best personal trainers you could ask for.
Learn a new sport. Take some lessons for gold, tennis, or racquetball. Heck, even go bowling!
Learn how to multitask. When you shop for groceries, move with a little more speed down the isles. You might run by a few items you need on the first pass, but you can always go back. Don't move through the store like you are reading the label on every item. Walk with purpose - and a shopping list. Always have a shopping list.
Join groups that are active like mall walkers, hikers, or bicyclists.

And, remember: exercise does not have to mean rigid, "no pain-no gain" sessions where we huff and puff and sweat and don't have fun. Break up your exercise in small chunks of time if you want to. As we have mentioned, three 15 minutes walks is just as effective for your health goals as a single 45 minute walk. And, while we are at it, keep a perspective. If you had every intention of putting in a good workout on Tuesday and find that something really (really, really!) significant prevents that, don't spend that night beating yourself up about it. You are not a worthless, hopeless, doomed, cursed, [insert your favorite personal put-down here] person because you missed one workout. In the words of Scalett O'Hara (yes, I am a movie nut) "tomorrow is another day" and you can make it a special priority to get that workout in the next day. Remember: Rome, nor you, was built in a day. It's going to take a lot more than a missed workout to derail you this time.

Albright Bariatric Clinic