The Benefits to Exercise are Just Three Simple Steps Away.
Two of Them You Can Do Without Moving a Muscle

To gain the benefits to exercise, start with seeing where you are. Then take action. The two first steps require only a tape measure or a piece of string you can measure with a ruler later, and a calculator. Ready?

Step One: what body do you now have?

Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist Circumference (WC) can be useful measures of determining obesity and increased risk for various diseases, including type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia (high cholesterol), hypertension (high blood pressure) and cardiovascular disease (such as clogged blood vessels or heart disease).

The Institute considers a BMI over 25 as overweight and greater than 30 as obese. A BMI over 30 can increase risk of serious disease or death by more than 50%. If you are simply overweight, without other risk factors such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure, a combination of healthy eating and fat burning exercises can restore your BMI. One of the benefits to exercise! Check with your doctor if you are unsure.

You should also check your Waist Circumference (WC), as athletes with increased muscle mass may have a high BMI but not be overweight, since their WC is normal. Another of the benefits to exercise!

Tracking WC changes is helpful to monitor abdominal fat. An increase in abdominal fat is associated with a higher risk of heart disease.

To check your WC, place a measuring tape or string around your abdomen at the level of your upper hip bone. Make the tape snug. Now refer to the Institute’s chart below.

Now proceed to Step Two to learn how many calories you need to stay as you are, and how many fewer you should consume (or more you can burn off) to get where you want to be.

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