There's no getting around the benefits of consistent exercise,
especially when it comes to disease prevention. The risk of
developing diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, or
one of a number of types of cancer goes down as your physical
activity goes up.
But
how much exercise is enough? According to several studies,
the latest of which was published in the Sept. 10, 2003 issue
of the Journal of the American Medical Association, it's not
necessarily how intensely or how long you work out, but that
- to borrow a line from Nike's famous commercials - you "just
do it."
In the study, 201 sedentary women (reporting exercising
less than 20 minutes per day for fewer than three days per
week in the previous six months) were assigned to one of four
exercise groups: vigorous intensity/high duration; moderate
intensity/high duration; moderate intensity/moderate duration;
or vigorous intensity/moderate duration. All women were instructed
to reduce daily energy intake to 1,200-1,500 calories and
limit dietary fat to 20-30 percent of total energy intake.
Results: After 12 months, significant weight loss
and cardiorespiratory fitness were achieved by women in all
four groups, with no significant differences between groups.
In other words, longer and more strenuous workouts weren't
particularly more effective than shorter workouts of moderate
intensity.
As these results show, you may not need to slave away in
the gym for hours to lose weight. What's most important is
that you (and your chiropractor) develop a sensible, consistent
exercise program. And of course, the hardest part is up to
you: sticking to it!
Reference:
Jakicic JM, Marcus BH, Gallagher KI, et al. Effect of exercise
duration and intensity on weight loss in overweight, sedentary
women: a randomized trial. Journal of the American Medical
Association, Sept. 10, 2003:290(10), pp1323-30.
For more information on the many benefits of exercise and
fitness, visit www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/sports/exercise/index.html.
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