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GET MOVING: The Importance of Physical Activity

What gets you going?  Do you prefer to exercise by yourself or in a group?  No matter what floats your boat, it’s important to enjoy your physical fitness.

It’s nothing new to most of us, that even 10 minutes of exercise can be beneficial to one’s body physically and mentally. The more sedentary people are, the greater the health risks and vice versa.  You don’t necessarily have to be an avid weight lifter to reap the health benefits of less intense physical activity. There is lots of research showing that little bouts of exercise, such as taking the stairs, walking a long way to your car, doing jumping jacks before hopping in the shower, etc. can all benefit your health. What is important is finding what exercises you ENJOY doing.  

I find that when people are just going to the gym because it’s part of their routine, because they feel an obligation to themselves, they are not getting as much of a gain as those that are taking part in physical activity because they are excited about it. When we get stuck in a routine and it becomes monotonous, we lose interest and therefore so do our muscles and mind.  

Keep it interesting and do it because you love doing that activity – whether it is lifting weights, stand-up paddle-boarding, yoga, ice skating – you name it. Try getting a partner in crime, someone that keeps you on your toes!

 

RESEARCH ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EXERCISE

A newer exercise study looked at the benefits of simply moving around a lot, using a national database of people who wore a device that measured their movements for at least 4 days.  Researchers controlled for age, diet, weight, smoking, medication, and overall health. This study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, involved 6,300 people ages 18 to 85. The study found that the 43% who moved around moderately for at least 150 minutes/week (approximately 21 minutes/day) in increments shorter than 10 minutes fared just as well in terms of cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, and waist circumference as the 10% who did longer bouts of activity. 

Written by Kathryn Holly Mott, RD, ONC