“The biggest obstacles to performing physical activity regularly are ambivalence about exercising; limited time available because of long work hours and/or the need to take care of the family; lack of facility and instructor; lack of safe and comfortable space for exercising; bad weather; level of pollution in the neighborhood; and the cultural restrictions imposed on women concerning doing activities together with the opposite gender,” dr. Rachmad said.
Finally, dr. Rachmad reminds the audience that regular physical activity, adoption of low-calorie diet, having enough sleep, knowing how to manage stress, and performing routine health checks are the important and comprehensive efforts required to prevent and control obesity and its co-morbidity.
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“For optimum results, satisfy the total duration requirement of medium to high-intensity physical activity or exercise regularly, or a combination of both, at 150-300 minutes a week. You may combine them or increase the amount of exercise gradually. Don’t forget to ad muscle strength exercises, flexibility exercises, and balance/coordination exercises, according to your condition. Constantly monitor and regularly evaluate your physical health and fitness; avoid being sedentary; try to keep your recreational screen time to less than 2 hours a day; take a 3-4-minute break for stretching/walking/standing after sitting for 30-60 minutes. Make realistic short-term goals or targets, that you can perform easily without being a trouble or problem for your daily living. Also, it’s important to create a support group or circle that will help you maintain your motivation and commitment,” he said. (est)