It is becoming well recognized that around the age of 50 if not before, you need to start exercising on a regular basis. I don’t know about you, but it is sure not my favorite thing to do so I’m not very excited about that, but it is undeniably true. However,not everybody knows the best way or how long you should exercise to be healthy.
Most people don’t have a lot of extra time. Let’s face it, if you need a whole hour to exercise to be healthy, it’s just not going to happen. What if there you only needed 15 minutes 3 times a week to get a great health benefit? In fact, what if there was a way to exercise for only 15 minutes and get more out of it than someone who exercises a hour a day? Well, good news, there is a way to do just that. And two, this brief exercise method is capable of causing some measurable improvements in health.
Researchers
…recently looked at a group of 62 sedentary, postmenopausal women who all had mild cases of high blood pressure. They divided them into three groups. They had one group perform high intensity exercise for 15-25 minutes three times a week. The next group performed moderate intensity exercise for much longer — one hour, three times a week. And the third lucky group got to continue their couch habits. The study went on for 15 weeks.
The high intensity group went as hard as they could for 30 seconds. At the end of the 30 second period, they were way out of breath, their hearts were racing, and they were glad the 30 seconds was over. Then they went easy for 2 minutes. Easy enough so that at the end of the two minutes they were ready to go at another 30 seconds again. They did this between six to ten times. Six times took them 15 minutes. If they did the whole 10 times, they spent 25 minutes.
The moderate intensity group did what is probably what most people think of when they think of exercise. They just went at a relatively easy pace, non-stop for an hour.
Here’s what happened.
Blood pressures in the high intensity group decreased five to seven points. The moderate group also saw a decrease but it was about 30% less than the intense group — three to five points. And of course, the blood pressures in the last group did not change. The heart rates improved in both of the exercise groups. No improvement in the inactive group. In terms of overall fitness performance, both the high intensity and the moderate groups were similar with a slight edge to the high intensity group. Of course, no change in the last group of women who didn’t change any thing.
The exercise that the researchers used in this study was swimming. THis is interesting because past studies have shown that swimming doesn’t have as strong of an aerobic affect as exercise performed out of water. But this is good for people who have sore backs and knees and other physical ailments that so many in the over-50 crowd have.
In summary, if you want to maintain your health as you get older you need to exercise on a regular basis. Not doing that is a sure way to guarantee that you will not be at your best. The women in this study showed a decrease in their blood pressure. This proves that exercise creates positive changes in the way the body regulates its circulation status. So even if you have normal blood pressure, you will still see benefits in your circulation.
Another great takeaway is that it looks like just doing it three times a week is enough to see a measurable benefit in only 15 weeks. Just think how great the benefits would be if you did that the next 15 years?
I still prefer out-of-water training, but it’s pretty clear that swimming is also a great way to get the job done, and if you can work hard for 30 seconds at a time, you can see even greater benefits in only 15 minute exercise periods three times a week. How good is that!
Yours for better health,
Dr. Jack Belitz
Spring is Here, Summer is around the corner, If you aren’t feeling good enough to exercise, Call 402-333-4848 now for a consultation.
I’ll do the consultation and exam at no charge. Let’s get you feeling your best so you can exercise and enjoy your life at your best.
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