While various factors contribute to health, fitness remains exceptionally important, according to fitness expert Jillian Michaels, a supporter of the Make America Healthy Again movement.
“Fitness is the No. 1 form of preventative medicine,” the Miami-based host of “Keeping It Real Podcast” told Fox News Digital during an on-camera interview. (See the video at the top of this article.)
Michaels said she supports efforts to improve nutrition, highlighting HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s push to reform FDA regulations on food additives. She stressed that exercise, however, is ultimately up to the individual.
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“This is not new news, and this is really where we have to encourage people to take agency … when it comes to exercise, this is really where we need to pick ourselves up by the bootstraps and start moving, even if it’s just having a daily step goal,” Michaels said.
More than 100 million adults are living with obesity and more than 22 million have severe obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Between August 2021 and August 2023, 40.3% of US adults above the age of 20 were considered obese.
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As a former celebrity trainer, Michaels advises people to do more than the “bare minimum” — and walking can be the best way to start getting in shape.
“One hundred and fifty minutes of walking a week has been shown to extend your lifespan by up to seven years. Something simple like that goes such a long way,” she said.
“I worry about false messages of lethargy. In other words, ‘just do the bare minimum’ – I don’t love that messaging because it implies that’s all somebody can do. That’s simply not true,” she went on.
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“Don’t be intimidated, don’t be overwhelmed. I know you’re worried about cost. I know you’re worried about time. I know you’re worried that you’re not fit enough to do some of these things that you’re hearing from people like myself.”
Starting with a simple goal of 5,000 steps a day and using a walking pad is a great way to begin, according to the expert.
“[Walking pads] are a couple of hundred bucks,” she said. “Put them under a stand-up desk or right by a kitchen counter, and you can shuffle around working, and you will hit those 5,000 steps no problem, every single day.”
Michaels said her morning routine looks a bit different each day, but she tries to stay consistent with a few things.
“I do give it a few hours before actually eating something. I try to hydrate, and then I see what my day looks like, and I fit in exercise wherever, quite honestly, that I can.”
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