Something is Better than Nothing

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

08 Oct 2008 09:00 PM

In light of the new recommendations just issued by the federal government regarding the amount of exercise Americans should be completing on a weekly basis I thought it would be interesting to note the results of a new recent study done by researchers at Louisiana State University as it might make you couch potatoes feel a bit better.

Whereas the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says adults should be participating in at least 2.5 hours a week of moderate-intensity physical activity, researchers at LSU maintain that even 10 minutes of exercise a day can improve your health.

Or in simpler terms: "Just get off the couch," advised the study's lead author.

The government's new recommendation hasn't gone over well with people who have been avoiding exercise because they don't think they have enough time, but those same people might be encouraged by the LSU results, which claim that a mere 10 minutes of exercise a day can improve your cardiovascular fitness.

Researchers found that when overweight or obese, sedentary women started to exercise an average of 72 minutes per week they increased their "peak oxygen consumption" by 4.2% compared to women who sat on the sidelines.

"For people who've been really sedentary, you're getting a benefit almost immediately," according to LSU researchers.

Researchers also noted that the intensity of exercise the women in the study engaged in was very low (roughly equivalent to walking at a speed of about 2 to 3 miles an hour).

Study leaders added that even they were shocked with the findings:

"It was surprising to us, the idea that as little as 10 to 15 minutes of exercise a day could provide benefit in terms of fitness," researchers noted in their findings, which were recently published in an issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study concluded that physical activity is clearly beneficial for your health and that any activity is better than none. Or more accurately, some exercise is good while more is better. It seems common sense, but for couch potatoes it could be just the motivation they need to get up and get moving.

Michele Cheplic writes about red-hot celebrities in POP CULTURE, fiery topics in PARENTS, sizzling recipes in FOOD, calorie burning exercises in FITNESS, and hot new kid-friendly crafts in FUN. Check out all of her articles here.

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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