Gym 101
Reaching any goal takes energy and a positive attitude. And do you know what helps with both? Mood-boosting exercise. We arranged for our fearless friends to undergo a supervised fitness assessment at Equinox so they could start incorporating more physical activity into their lives. Rachel Mariotti's advice for where they should begin: "Most of the women need to lower their body fat percentage by at least 15 percent to decrease their risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. I recommend they come to the gym at least three times per week for 50 minutes and concentrate first on low-impact, cardio-focused movement, such as running or walking on a treadmill, using an elliptical, or doing very low-impact resistance training. They need to work out long enough—and hard enough—to start burning fat. If they can fit in two more days at the gym, I suggest they do light strength training, like squats and jumping jacks. And I can't stress enough how important nutrition and sleep are. Everyone has to give her body the right nutrients and time to recover from the added stress and movement it will be going through."
From the
May 2016 issue of
O, The Oprah Magazine
