We have been told time after time that we need to exercise. Physical activity is a must in our regular routine. There are a dozen guidelines suggested to follow, but those guidelines do not always explain what guideline is applicable to which lifestyle. “For the average American,” is tacked to the beginning of every explanation. How do you know if you are an average American? What does that mean? Hopefully, this information will provide a clearer explanation about what exercise is necessary for which lifestyle.
Avoiding illness. What you should do depends on your health history, your weight, and your goals. Cholesterol skyrocketing? Jog several miles each week and hit the rowing machine. Have more than a few pounds to lose? You may need to put in an hour or more a day. Concerned about bone loss? Pick up those weights. For the fortunate folks who are at a normal weight, who are in good health and want to maintain it, 30 minutes of moderate activity, five to seven days a week, is enough. Do this and your risk of disease declines, no matter your age, sex, or race. " The claim is backed up by years of studies showing that people with moderate exercise patterns have lower disease risks.
Pushing hard enough. Moderate activity for half an hour, by the way, is somewhere south of huffing and puffing and somewhere north of an easy after-dinner ramble. "Casually strolling around the mall isn't going to produce health benefits," says JoAnn Manson, chief of preventative medicine at Harvard's Brigham & Women's Hospital. Walking should be brisk enough--3 to 4 miles per hour--to raise your heart rate. You can accumulate that exercise, says Blair. So a 10-minute brisk walk after every meal is fine. Physicians also recommend that most people--but particularly women--get two or three days a week of weight training. This has extra benefits, like building bone mass.
Shedding pounds. But wait. Or, weight. About 65 percent of Americans are overweight, and extra pounds raise the risk of disease. That's where the whole hour, as recommended by the Institute of Medicine, comes in. Researchers combed through an international database and found that the people who maintained a healthy weight exercised, on average, the equivalent of a 60-minute brisk walk per day. Bad news: Some people may need to work out even longer than an hour, depending on their diet, muscle mass, and metabolism. "I've run nearly every day for 35 years, and during that time I've gained 30 pounds," says Blair.
Healthier hearts. If you're built like a greyhound but battle high cholesterol, you may need to do something more intense. A study published last month in the New England Journal of Medicine found that walking or jogging the equivalent of 12 miles per week lowered the amount of dangerous LDL (the bad cholesterol) in overweight people. But it took longer and harder workouts--the equivalent of jogging 20 miles per week--to increase the level of HDL (the good cholesterol). Another study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in October, suggests that while walking cuts the risk of coronary heart disease, more vigorous activities like running and rowing reduce it even further.
Dusting doesn't do it. If you can't face 30 or 60 minutes of exercise, do something, because slight workouts do produce slight benefits. Keep in mind, though, that lighter "exercise," like housecleaning, canoeing, or playing golf, helps burn calories and can be a great add-on to your regular routine but is no substitute for that routine. Mild activity, among other things, does nothing to increase bone strength and density, according to a report in last month's Journal of Internal Medicine.
Overdoing it. You can do too much as well as too little. Overdoing it can actually suppress the immune system and increase the risk of getting hurt. Warning signs of overtraining include sleeplessness, fatigue, and injuries like stress fractures.
If a brisk walk for half an hour isn't for you, other exercises done for these specific times will give you similar benefits. Thirty minutes of walking* is equal to: Jumping rope 11 min., jogging** 13 min., swimming 19 min., moderate cycling 24 min., tennis (doubles) 27 min., and mowing the lawn 30 min.
*15-minute-per-mile pace
**10-minute-per-mile pace
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