Many Trinidadians don't exercise enough, and therefore I feel it is risky to write this article as we take everything to the extreme, especially things that require only minimal effort. However, maybe the risk is worth it and it might actually get couch potatoes off their derrieres, because it requires only minimal effort.
Indeed, the World Health Organisation's recommendations of 150 minutes of exercise per week can be daunting for many sedentary folks who hate to exercise. Authors of an analysis in the British Medical Journal say that these recommendations are just too high to motivate people.
Let's face it. For a sedentary person, who has never exercised a day in his life, the idea of 150 minutes of exercise a week, or the equivalent of 21 seven-minute micro workouts a week, is indeed formidable, considering his complete absence of exercise. In addition, the muscle soreness and fatigue that come with starting an exercise program for the first time, are further obstacles encountered by the faltering psyche of some new exercisers.
So the new research that suggests that health gains are achieved with much less exercise per week comes as great news to sedentary individuals. One study of 250,000 people showed a 15 per cent decrease in death from less than an hour of moderate exercise a week! Less than an hour a week?
I am quite flabbergasted myself, but the numbers do not lie. A recent systematic review, which is the most powerful type of study, of the Canadian exercise guidelines showed that exercise and mortality rate are not an all or nothing situation. Even a small amount of exercise can have positive effects in people who do not exercise at all. Sedentary persons can now rest easy knowing that every little bit they do, can work to improve their health, and in doing so, they may be more motivated to continue to exercise and work towards the recommended 150 minutes per week.
On the flip side, as we know, too much exercise negatively affects our health, and one can actually undo the benefits of exercise. However, it is surprising to see what research has determined is "too much exercise." It is astonishingly much less exercise than we think! In a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Danish researchers showed that those who ran at a fast pace for more than 4 hours a week, over the course of more than 3 days a week had the same risk of dying as sedentary individuals. That works out to running twice around the Savannah four times a week (if one takes 30 minutes to complete it). That's very little exercise in comparison to what many people do and definitely much less than what athletes do!
In the same study, those who ran at a slow to moderate pace for only 1 to 2.4 hours per week over the course of fewer than 3 days had the lowest risk of death. That is only a slow paced Savannah run/walk once to twice a week. This actually complements the mounting research that suggests that small bouts of intense activity (as little as 1 minute at a time) can have health benefits, and in fact be better than long, continuous exercise.
The theories behind why prolonged exercise may not be as beneficial as more moderate workouts include a loss of heart function caused by changes to the heart in response to continuous exercise over time. These changes, which have been noted in marathoners and long distance cyclists, include abnormalities in normal heart rhythm and enlarged hearts, which are less effective in pumping blood and delivering oxygen to the body. It has also been proposed that persons who exercise for longer periods have greater exposure to the sun and therefore are more likely to succumb to cancer, but these theories need further investigation.
The relationship between health benefits and exercise is an inverted U. It simply boils down to the fact that too little and too much is not good for you, which we already knew. Moderation is key.
What we didn't already know, was how little exercise was needed to create a benefit. We also didn't know that the amount of exercise that negates the benefits of exercise may actually be much less than we think. There is a happy medium, which is just what we need to maintain our blood sugar and heart health, and burn off excess calories. However, I would not take this as gospel.
This is new research, and as with anything new, it needs to be validated through more studies over long periods. But sedentary individuals struggling to start an exercise program can now live in greater hope that every movement they do counts, and be more motivated to improve their health!
Carla Rauseo, DPT, CSCS, ATRIC is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a Certified Aquatic Therapy Rehabilitation Instructor at Total Rehabilitation Centre in San Juan. http://www.totalrehabtt.com