Kick It Up With Cardio Exercise

Before you jump on that Stairmaster or start pounding the pavement, make sure you have a cardio exercise plan that will give you the most bang for your muscle burn.

Whether it’s pounding the pavement, logging miles on the bike, or climbing those stairs that seem to go nowhere, it’s all about cardio exercise. But other than a sweaty t-shirt, what do you have to show for your workout? A slimmer stomach? Killer quads? Are you exercising for the right amount of time to reap the full health benefits of cardiovascular fitness, or often enough?

Exercise experts, including fitness maven Denise Austin, answer cardio questions for WebMD, so you can make the most of your muscle burn.

Cardio Exercise: The Heart of the Matter

“Cardiovascular exercise is any type of exercise that increases the work of the heart and lungs,” says Tommy Boone, PhD, a founding member of the American Society of Exercise Physiologists. “Walking, jogging, and running are common forms of cardiovascular, or aerobic, exercise.”

From running and walking, to swimming, elliptical cross-training, biking, Stairmaster, and rowing — to name a few — the physical benefits of cardio exercise abound, explains says Len Kravitz, PhD, senior exercise physiologist for IDEA Health and Fitness Association. They include:

Reduced risk of heart disease

• Improved blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• Improved heart function
• Reduced risk of osteoporosis
• Improved muscle mass

“The American College of Sports Medicine and the CDC recommend, for health, that adults should accumulate 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week,” says Kravitz, who is also a coordinator of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. “And to improve cardiovascular endurance, they recommend 20 to 60 minutes on three to five days per week.”

Now that you know the benefits of cardio exercise, where should your heart-pumping fitness plan begin?

Getting Into the Zone

To help you make the most of your cardio exercise workout — help your heart, increase muscle, and lose fat — Denise Austin, fitness expert, author of seven books, including Shrink Your Female Fat Zones, and star of 50 fitness videos, gives WebMD some tips.

“To reap all the benefits of a cardio workout, you should sustain your workout for 20 minutes or more — I do 30 minutes myself — on a schedule of about three to four times per week,” says Austin.

Not only that, but you need to get in the zone, which calculates into burning calories and fat.

“The best way to find out if you are burning fat is to take your pulse halfway into your cardio workout for six seconds, then add a zero to that number,” Austin tells WebMD.

This number is your heart rate per minute.

Next, calculate your zone.

“Take the number 220, then minus your age, then calculate 70% of that number for your target beats per minute,” says Austin, and that’s your zone. “If your heart rate halfway through your workout is over that 70% mark take it down a level, and if under, pick up the pace.”

Not a math wiz? There are easier ways to figure it out.

“Another great way to find out your zone is to get a pulse monitor, which takes the math out of it,” says Austin. “Or very simply, take the talk test: while you are doing aerobics, talk a sentence. If you are too winded to finish the sentence, you are overdoing it, or if it’s too easy to say, kick it up a notch!”

Getting Cut With Cardio

If you’re looking for ripped abs and toned arms, interval training will help get you there — especially if you throw in some weights.

“I love interval training because it consistently jump-starts your metabolism,” says Austin. “Let’s say you are walking — you could power-walk really fast for three minutes to get the burst of calorie burn, and then walk calmly and slowly for one minute, which offers recovery. By switching back and forth, you push the muscle and let it relax over and over and this gives you maximum results.” You can do interval training on any type of cardio exercise machine — alternating a high intensity with a more moderate level.

Austin suggests doing weights during your recovery time, such as bicep curls or tricep toners, to reap the benefits of both cardio exercise and weight training, and along with interval training, add dedicated weight sessions to your regimen to burn fat and sculpt muscle at the same time.

“Do cardio four days a week for 30 minutes, and add a weight-training workout at least two times a week at 20-minute sessions,” says Austin. “Cardio will burn the fat, and it’s the weight training that gives you the toned sculpted look that will have you bikini ready.”

Cardio’s Best Fat Burner

So you want the bottom line: Which cardio exercise will fat-bust the best?

“Running is the best option for calorie burning, in my opinion,” says Niki Kimbrough, personal fitness expert with Bally Total Fitness. “Whether it’s outside or on a treadmill, it’s the best exercise because you’re burning calories and you’re strengthening your legs and heart — it’ll get you nice and lean.”

Beginners should start with 20 minutes, explains Kimbrough, and work their way up.

“It takes about 20 minutes for your body to get going, and then your body starts to kick it to another level,” says Kimbrough. “Ideally, you want to run for about 30 or 45 minutes.”

For those with bad knees, Kimbrough recommends the elliptical machine as a good second choice.

In case running isn’t your game, Kravitz takes another track.

“I really feel the most important message is to chose a cardio modality or modalities that you like,” says Kravitz. “Because in the final outcome, if a person enjoys a mode of exercise, that is what all research shows they will choose.”

Splitting It Up

While it may not be the fastest way to a body built for the beach, splitting up your cardio exercise still has its benefits.

“In order to achieve the best results, and also in order to maintain a healthy heart, it is best to not split up your cardio workouts,” says Austin. “You need the consistency of 20 minutes or more of an elevated pulse to ensure great results. However, something is better than nothing.  If all the time you have is 10 minutes or even five minutes, it is better than sitting still; you will still be garnished benefits and lose weight.”

Kick Up Your Cardio

Let’s be honest — cardio exercise can get boring after awhile. How can you jazz it up and make it interesting again? The experts recommend never letting it get stale in the first place.

“I believe you should do different types of cardio exercises during the course of a week, if possible,” says Austin. “The thing to remember is that too much repetition will fatiguemuscles and you will plateau, which will slow your results down.  By adding variety to your workouts you give muscle groups a chance to recover on their days off and you can maintain a steady progress.”

Kravitz agrees with adding options to cardio exercise.

“Vary the mode, vary the place you train, vary the workout, vary the time of day, vary the intensity of the workout, vary the duration — vary, vary, vary,” says Kravitz. “That is what I have found to work the best for exercise compliance.”

Before starting a new exercise program, it is important to have a discussion with your doctor about types and levels of activity. Your doctor can advise on any limitations or restrictions you may have.

Secrets of Successful Exercisers Revealed

A new nationwide survey shows at least one-fourth of successful exercisers have full-time jobs, young children at home, or both, and walking is the most popular form of physical activity.

The survey, conducted among more than 20,000 Consumer Reports readers, reveals the secrets of successful exercisers — those people who most closely meet the national recommendations for physical activity by exercising at least a half-hour per day at least three days a week.

The results show that sticking to an exercise routine doesn’t have to be boring or expensive, and it could be a lifesaver. For example:

• 58% of successful exercisers report doing three or more different activities per week.
• 30% of successful exercisers used a fitness facility or gym at least three times a week.
• More than half of those who worked out regularly used exercise to treat depression, a heart problem, back pain, or diabetes and said they and their doctors agreed that exercise helped a lot.

Experts say that to reap the most health benefits from exercise, you need to strive for at least 150 minutes of exercise a week, preferably spread out over five days. If you do, the health benefits include a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, some types of cancer, and dementia.

However, if your goal is weight loss, you’ll need to aim for 250 to 300 minutes a week

Tips from Successful Exercisers

In the survey, which appears in the January issue of Consumer Reports, researchers polled 21,750 readers about their exercise habits.

Thirty-eight percent of the respondents were classified as “successful exercisers” and performed moderate to vigorous exercise for at least 30 minutes at least three days a week (usually more). That group includes 12% the researchers classified as “hard-core” exercisers who exercised at least five days a week and had kept it up for at least five years.

The survey showed that 36% were “unsuccessful exercisers” who did a little exercise but not enough to reap the health benefits. Many people in this group said they wished they exercised more regularly. Fifteen percent of the respondents were considered sedentary.

Researchers found walking was by far the most popular form of physical activity among successful exercisers. In addition, two-thirds of hard-core exercisers walked at least three days a week.

When asked how they fit physical activity into their hectic schedules and stuck to their routines, successful exercisers offered this advice:

• Get out of your car. Many said they walked or bicycled regularly to work. Others arranged their lives so that they could do errands on foot regularly, such as living within walking distance of a grocery store.
• Find activities you enjoy. You’ll be more likely to stick to a routine if you enjoy it. More than half of successful exercisers said they usually or always got “a feeling of joy or exhilaration” from their physical activity.
• Find time to exercise. Successful exercisers recommend working out at the same time of the day, finding a convenient location to exercise, and planning ahead to schedule workouts.
• Use weights. Successful exercisers of all ages were 10 times more likely to use free weights to build muscle strength than those who didn’t exercise regularly.

When starting an exercise program, researchers say it’s important to start slowly, and then gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workout. But the good news is that the survey results also show that once people get into the exercise habit, they naturally gravitate toward longer, more strenuous workouts.

10 Easy Ways to Make Exercise a Habit

Let’s face it: it’s not all that difficult to start a fitness routine. After all, most of us have done it more than once.

The trouble, of course, comes with sticking with it. All too often, our initial enthusiasm and energy wanes, we get distracted by other things going on in our lives, or we don’t think we’re seeing results quickly enough — and we throw in the towel.

Yet many people do manage to hang in there, and would no sooner skip their regular workout than their morning shower. What’s their secret?

A recent study by researcher Diane Klein, PhD, shed some light on the subject. Long-term exercisers (who had been working out for an average of 13 years) were asked to rank what motivated them to keep up with their regimes.

Their answers might surprise you. The exercisers were not as concerned with powerful pecs and awesome abs as they were with feeling good and being healthy.

Here’s how the study participants ranked their motivators:

• Fitness
• Feelings of well-being
• Pep and energy
• Enjoyment of the exercise
• Making exercise a priority
• Sleeping better
• Feeling alert
• Being relaxed
• Weight management
• Appearance

So, once you have your priorities in the right place, how can you become one of the fitness faithful?

WebMD has compiled 10 tips for making fitness a habit in your life. To create the list, we sought the help of Klein, along with long-term fitness buff Roy Stevens and his wife, Wanda, who is transforming her hit-and-miss exercise schedule into an almost-daily habit.

1. Do a variety of activities you enjoy. And remember, there’s no rule that says you have to go to a gym or buy equipment.

“We’ve shifted our perceptions from regimented exercise to physical activity,” says Klein, assistant professor of exercise, sports and leisure studies, and director of gerontology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Having a variety of activities — weight lifting, walking, running, tennis, cycling, aerobics classes — will ensure that you can do something regardless of the weather or time of day.

2. Commit to another person. “The social aspect of exercise is important for me,” says Wanda Stevens, a stay-at-home mom in Austin, Texas. “I’ll let myself off, but if I’ve agreed to walk with a friend after dinner, I won’t let them down.”

She is six weeks into an exercise program, thanks in part to her husband’s support. Roy Stevens, who works as a management consultant, has become her “in-house personal trainer.” They work out together every morning, doing a combination of aerobics, strength training, Tae Bo, and stretching. If he’s out of town, he gives her a wake-up call, and she takes the dog for a walk.

3. Make exercise a priority. “It has to be a non-negotiable,” says Roy Stevens.

He began exercising to manage his weight when he was in the Air Force band some 20 years ago. “We’d travel, and other guys would get off the bus and go eat wings and drink beer. I’d go running.” He’s maintained the exercise habit even during his years working 70 hours a week as a restaurant owner.

There’s another advantage to making exercise non-negotiable. Friends and family members learn that it’s part of your identity, and give up saying things like, “Why don’t you take it easy today?”

 

4. Exercise first thing in the morning. With two preschool children, Wanda Stevens couldn’t find time to work out except on a hit-and-miss basis. Any number of things could sabotage her good intentions to walk or go to Pilates class after dinner. But all her excuses vanished once she started getting up before the kids so she could work out.

“I didn’t think I was a morning person,” she tells WebMD. “But it’s working for me.”

Experts agree that a morning schedule is best. “If you go to a gym, it should be located between your home and work,” says Klein. “Exercise, take a shower, and you’re energized for the day.”

5. Or, exercise on your way home from work. The next best thing to exercising first thing in the morning is to do it on your way home from work, Klein says.

“Don’t go home first,” she says. “I learned that the hard way. There aren’t a lot of people who are so motivated that after they go home and change clothes will go back out again and exercise.”

6. Exercise even when you’re “too tired.” Chances are, you’ll feel better after exercising.

“It energizes us,” says Klein. “You breathe deeply, and your body makes better use of the oxygen exchange. You’ll get an exercise-induced euphoria during the activity and for some time after.”

If Wanda Stevens thinks she is too tired to get up and exercise, Roy shows her no sympathy. “She gets mad, but then she feels better afterwards,” he says.

7. Log your activity. Write down the things that are important to you. It could be how much time you exercise each day, how many steps you walked, how far you ran or cycled, what you weighed, etc.

Some people make a game of it. You may have heard of runners calculating the miles it would take to run from their homes to Boston (home of the famous marathon), figuring how far they run in an average week and setting a target date for “arriving” in Boston.

8. Be aware of all the indicators of progress. It’s great when your clothes fit better and you can lift heavier weights or work out longer without getting exhausted.

But there are a slew of other progress indicators, such as:

• Getting a good night’s sleep.
• Thinking more clearly.
• Having more energy.
• Realizing your muscles aren’t screaming after you’ve helped a friend move furniture.
• Seeing your resting heart rate drop over time.
• Hearing your doctor congratulate you on improved cholesterol, blood pressure, bone density, triglycerides, and blood sugars.

9. Walk — with a pedometer (or a dog). “If you enjoy walking and haven’t exercised for awhile, 10 minutes three times a day will give you 30 minutes,” says Klein.

Use a pedometer, and work up to at least 10,000 steps a day. “Nobody starts out with 10,000 steps,” Klein says. Find out what your daily average is, and, the next week, strive to walk 300 extra steps each day. Increase your steps each week.

“Better yet, walk the dog,” Klein says. That’s how she motivated her sister to exercise. “Twice a day she walks her dog, which is good for them both and provides companionship.”

Wanda Stevens also enjoys walking her border collie and finds there’s another benefit: “It relieves the guilt I felt over not giving her enough attention now that we have kids.”

10. Reward yourself. Are you telling yourself that you don’t deserve a reward for something you should be doing anyway — or that once you can zip your jeans without lying on the bed, that will be reward enough? Well, honestly, how inspiring is that?

Experts say that making behavior changes is hard, and rewards motivate. So decide on a goal and a reward, and work toward it. You might buy yourself a video you’ve wanted after you stick to your fitness plan for one month, or buy new walking shoes when you achieve 5,000 steps a day. Do whatever works for you.

It’s Never Too Late to Start Exercise

Researchers Find Great Rewards When Mild Exercise Programs Are Started Late In Life

May 13, 2003 — You know the benefits of exercise programs. And if you’ve been inactive, you may have also felt them — with sore muscles and bruised motivation to continue. But a new study in women shows that the old adage is true — it’s never too late to start when it comes to exercise programs. So now what can you do to jump on the exercise bandwagon? WebMD got exercise tips from the experts.

“There certainly seems to be something here to suggest that women can start exercising later in life and still reap the rewards,” lead researcher and CDC epidemiologist Edward W. Gregg, PhD, tells WebMD. His findings are published in the May 14 issue of TheJournal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers tracked 9,500 women for 12 years, starting when they were at least age 66. In that time, they found that those who went from doing little or nothing to walking just a mile a day slashed their risk of death from all causes and from cancer by nearly half. Their risk of heart disease also fell by more than a third. In fact, they enjoyed nearly as much protection as women who were physically active before the study began and remained so.

During the study, he and his colleagues surveyed the women on their exercise levels at the start of the trial and again up to six years later. Years later, the researchers tracked their rates of death and disease.

The new information we found is that older women who went from being sedentary or walking about two miles a week to walking eight miles a week between the two visits had significant life improvements, says another study researcher, Jane A. Cauley, DrPH, of the University of Pittsburgh.

“We’re talking about women with an average age of 77 at the second visit,” she tells WebMD. “And we’re talking about their engaging in very mild exercise — and not running marathons.”

But if the only workout you’ve been getting lately involves the TV remote, here’s how to avoid those walks around the block from making your body feel as if it just tackled Boston Marathon’s infamous “Heartbreak Hill”

•  

• Get a checkup before a workout. A visit to your doctor is wise for anyone beginning an exercise program, but it’s crucial for the elderly or others who have been inactive because of health problems. In addition to the obvious — checking your heart and lungs — your doctor can help determine if your regimen needs to consider other medical conditions, and the drugs you take for them.

   

  “People can sometimes control conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure with weight loss and exercise so they don’t need to continue their medications,” says William A. Banks, MD, professor of geriatrics at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. It’s important to let your doctor know about your new exercise program in case your medication doses need to be changed.

   

  “A doctor can also help facilitate the best type of exercise if you have a disability or impairment. For instance, many of my patients have bad knees, so I tell them that if they start running or even walking, they’re going to have problems that will likely impact their ability to continue,” he tells WebMD. “So I try to steer them to another activity, such as swimming, which is especially good for people with joint problems or obesity.”

   

• Start slow. Once you get the green light, the key to avoiding fatigue and muscle pain is to pull out of the gate very slowly. “You hear so much about the importance of getting 30 minutes of exercise a day, but those recommendations should not be viewed as goals if you’ve been sedentary — even if you’re healthy,” Banks says. “Initially, you should actually shoot below your comfort level.”Too often, people — especially those who are older — overdo it in the beginning and they hurt themselves to the point where they need two weeks to recover. It’s better to walk for a few minutes a day, every day, then do 10 minutes your first day and then not be able to walk for the rest of the week.”

   

• Go more often. Of course, those few minutes of your exercise program can be done several times a day. First, try to do some activity for a few minutes several times a day. Then slowly increase the time spent in each session. But don’t worry about going faster until you’ve exercised regularly for at least one month. A key to intensity: Ideally, you want to be aerobic enough so you can utter a few words or syllables in each sentence, but not so little that you’re speaking in complete sentences or too much so you can barely talk, advises Banks.

   

• Don’t go solo. Although there is no evidence that people are fitter when they exercise with others, they are more likely to stick to an exercise program, or anything else, with the buddy system. “We’re always better in the company of others,” says Banks.Another benefit to group activities: Organized exercise programs, like those available for low or no cost at the YMCA or local hospitals, often include professional guidance — especially useful for those with conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and arthritis. “There are exercise therapists or physiologists who can expertly guide you to the proper way to increase your endurance and intensity without risking injury or fatigue,” says Gregg.

   

• Do what you enjoy. While Gregg’s study and others have focused on walking because it’s among the easiest and most popular forms of exercise, you should pick an activity you like, so you continue it. It could be gardening, swimming, tennis, or the old favorite, walking. “If you absolutely hate exercise, like me, I recommend exercise machines,” says Banks. “Since I hate to exercise, I run on a treadmill while watching TV. I’m especially fond of working out while watching the cartoon Pinky and the Brain.”

Exercise May Lift Cloud of Depression

Jan. 20, 2006 — Exercise may provide an immediate mood boost for people suffering from depression.

Although previous studies have suggested that exercise programs can take weeks to improve depressive symptoms, a new study suggests that even a single workout can provide immediate benefits in lifting the mood of the seriously depressed.

“Many people with depression attempt to self-medicate with alcohol, caffeine, or tobacco to manage their daily routine. Low- to moderate-intensity exercise appears to be an alternate way to manage depression, one that doesn’t come with such negative health consequences,” researcher John Bartholomew, PhD, says in a news release. Bartholomew is an associate professor in the department of kinesiology and health education at The University of Texas at Austin.

Exercise May Help Treat Depression

Researchers say most research on depression and exercise has focused on exercise as a treatment for the underlying disorder of depression. Instead, this study looked at whether exercise might also provide more immediate, short-term benefits by lifting people’s mood.

In the study, researchers compared the effects of 30 minutes of walking on a treadmill with 30 minutes of quiet rest in 40 adults recently diagnosed with depression. None of the participants was taking antidepressants or exercising regularly.

The results showed that both groups reported reductions in feelings like tension, anger, depression, and fatigue. But only the exercise group reported feeling good, as measured by improved scores on “vigor” and “well-being” indicators.

Bartholomew says the benefits found in the quiet rest group may be attributed to simply getting out of the house and interacting with people in preparation for the study, but only the exercise group experienced a greater sense of well-being and vigor.

He says the next step is to look at why exercise provides these benefits so they can structure exercise to gain even stronger effects.

Researchers caution, however, that this study shows a single session on a treadmill may only temporarily relieve the symptoms of depression rather than cure depression.

Train Your Brain With Exercise! Use it or lose it!

Not only is exercise smart for your heart and weight, but it can make you smarter and better at what you do.

Anyone with a brain exercises these days, but did you know exercise can return the favor and train your brain? Not only is exercise smart for your heart and weight, but it can make you smarter and better at what you do.

“I like to say that exercise is like taking a little Prozac or a little Ritalin at just the right moment,” says John J. Ratey, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of A User’s Guide to the Brain. “Exercise is really for the brain, not the body. It affects mood, vitality, alertness, and feelings of well-being.”

Stephen C. Putnam, MEd, took up canoeing in a serious way to combat the symptoms of adult ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). Then he wrote a book, titled Nature’s Ritalin for the Marathon Mind, about the benefits of exercise on troublesome brain disorders such as ADHD, a neurological/behavioral condition resulting in hyperactivity and the inability to focus on tasks.

Putnam cites studies of children who ran around for 15 to 45 minutes before class and cut their ants-in-the-pants behavior by half when they got to class. As with most exercise, the effects were relatively lasting — smoothing out behavior two to four hours after the exercise.

Putnam also points to some preliminary animal research that suggests that exercise can cause new stem cells to grow, refreshing the brain and other body parts. According to Ratey, exercise also stimulates nerve growth factors. “I call it Miracle-Gro for the brain,” he says.

How Exercise Trains the Brain

Christin Anderson, MS, wellness and fitness coordinator of the University of San Francisco, explains that exercise affects many sites within the nervous system and sets off pleasure chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine that make us feel calm, happy, and euphoric.

In other words, if you don’t want to wait for those good feelings to come by accident (if they do), you can bring them on by exercising.

“When one exercises,” Anderson says, “you can think more clearly, perform better, and your morale is better. This is pure science — stimulate your nervous system and function at a higher level.”

Effects of Exercise on Depression

Almost everyone has heard of the “fog of war,” but the “fog of living” is depression. “Depression affects memory and effectiveness (not to mention the ability to get up, get dressed, and function),” Anderson says. “If you can control your physiology, you can relax, focus, and remember.”

In a study reported in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness in 2001, 80 young male and female volunteers were tested for mood and then did aerobics for an hour. Of the 80, 52 were depressed before the exercise. That group was the most likely to benefit, reporting a reduction in anger, fatigue, and tension. They also felt more vigorous after the workout.

Effects of Exercise on Depression continued…

A well-known study was done at Duke University involving 150 people 50 or older who had been diagnosed with depression. They were divided into three groups and given either exercise as a treatment for four months, the antidepressant drug Zoloft, or a combination of the two.

At the end of the four months, all three groups felt better. But the researchers didn’t leave it there. They checked again in six months, and the exercise group had relapsed at significantly lower rates than the Zoloft or combination groups. In fact, the scientists felt that giving the Zoloft along with the exercise undermined the effects of the exercise, saying the combination group might have preferred to feel they had worked for their improvement rather than having to take a pill.

This doesn’t mean, the researcher said, that exercise is a cureall for every case of depression. Seeking out the study showed motivation, and motivation can be hard to come by when you’re depressed.

Bipolar disorder also does not seem to respond as well to exercise. On the other hand, anxiety disorders sometimes respond even more quickly.

If You Want to Try Exercise as a Brain Trainer

Single bouts of exercise can reduce anxiety for several hours afterward, although there may be a lag time before the good feeling sets in if exercise is too intense (good news for those who find fanatical, prolonged, “check your pulse” exercise unappealing).

Therefore, low to moderate forms of exercise are recommended for brain training. Ratey recommends 8 to 12 minutes a day of sweating and breathing-hard exercise (60% of maximum heart rate) for brain training.

Anderson says a minimum would be 30 minutes of moderate exercise, walking, hiking, or swimming, three times a week. Half an hour to an hour, four to five times a week would be even better. For those who want to be REALLY on the ball, 90 minutes five to six times a week would not be out of line, she says.

Anderson recommends two sessions a day for this purpose, rather than one big heaving workout. “Swim for 20 minutes in the morning, then walk at night,” she advises. “Right after hard, intense exercise, you may not be as acute. Overtraining can set off enzymes that can lead to fatigue, which is the enemy of alertness.”

Anderson also says the type of exercise you select depends on your personality. It may be the opposite of what you’d expect. “If you’re a 32-year-old male, work 70 hours a week, play ball twice on the weekend and jog daily,” she says, “you may need to do some yoga to improve your mental acuity.” Some coaches, she points, out actually have to get people to relax to find their “edge.” Meditation can also be a great complement to exercise, she adds. Then: “Do what you enjoy. That’s important.”

If You Want to Try Exercise as a Brain Trainer continued…

“You want to ready your brain for learning,” Ratey says. For that to happen, all the chemicals must “jog” into place.

Star Lawrence is a medical journalist based in the Phoenix area.

Managing Your Fitness Condition With Exercise

Need a reason to work out? Here are 7 to start

What if someone told you that a thinner, healthier, and longer life was within your grasp? Sound too good to be true? According to a wealth of research, exercise is the silver bullet for a better quality of life.

Not only does regular exercise aid in weight loss, it reduces your risk for several chronic diseases and conditions. Finding activities that you enjoy and that become part of your daily routine is the key to a long and healthy life.

The list of health benefits is impressive, and the requirements are relatively simple — just do it.

Ward Off Disease

Research has confirmed that any amount of exercise, at any age, is beneficial. And, in general, the more you do, the greater the benefits. The National Academy of Sciences has recommended that everyone strive for a total of an hour per day of physical activity. Sounds like a lot, but the hour can be made up of several shorter bursts of activity (it can be walking, gardening, even heavy housecleaning) done throughout the day.

Physical activity is an essential part of any weight-loss program, to maximize your fat loss while keeping valuable muscle mass. But exercise has many other health and longevity benefits. It can help prevent or improve these conditions:

1. Heart Disease. Regular activity strengthens your heart muscle; lowers blood pressure; increases “good” cholesterol (high-density lipoproteins or HDLs) and lowers “bad” cholesterol (low-density lipoproteins or LDLs); enhances blood flow; and helps your heart function more efficiently. All of these benefits reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

Researchers at Duke University suggest that the amount of physical activity, rather than its intensity, has the biggest impact on improving blood lipids (cholesterol). According to The New England Journal of Medicine, these researchers also found that any exercise is better than none — although more is better.

2. Stroke. In an analysis of 23 studies, researchers found that being active reduces your risk of having and dying from a stroke. According to a study published in the journal Stroke, moderately active study participants had 20% less risk of stroke than less active participants.

3. Type II Diabetes. This disease is increasing at alarming rates — by 62% since 1990 — and 17 million Americans now have it. Physical activity can enhance weight loss and help prevent and/or control this condition. Losing weight can increase insulin sensitivity, improve blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and reduce blood pressure — all of which are very important to the health of people with diabetes.

In a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Frank Hu, MD, of the Harvard School of Public Health found that a brisk walk for one hour daily could reduce the risk of type II diabetes by 34%.

4. Obesity. Overweight and obese conditions can be prevented or treated with exercise along with a healthy diet. Activity helps to reduce body fat and increase muscle mass, thus improving your body’s ability to burn calories. The combination of reduced calories and daily exercise is the ticket to weight loss. And controlling obesity is critical, as it is a major risk factor for many diseases. Lowering your body mass index (BMI) is a sure way to reduce your risk of dying early and to live a healthier life.

5. Back Pain. Back pain can be managed or prevented with a fitness program that includes muscle strengthening and flexibility. Having good posture and a strong abdomen is the body’s best defense against back pain.

6. Osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercise (such as walking, jogging, stair climbing, dancing, or lifting weights) strengthens bone formation and helps prevent the osteoporosis or bone loss often seen in women after menopause. Combine a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D with regular weight-bearing exercise for maximum results.

According to The Journal of the American Medical Association, data from the Nurses’ Health Study showed that women who walked four or more hours per week had 41% fewer hip fractures than those who walked less than an hour a week.

7. Psychological Benefits. Improved self-esteem is one of the top benefits of regular physical activity. While exercising, your body releases chemicals called endorphins that can improve your mood and the way you feel about yourself. The feeling that follows a run or workout is often described as “euphoric” and is accompanied by an energizing outlook. Exercise can help you cope with stress and ward off depression and anxiety.

And these are just a few of the ways exercise improves your health. Studies have suggested it can also help with certain types of cancer, improve immune function, and more.

Putting It All Together: Exercise and a Healthy Diet

Exercise alone produces modest weight loss; when combined with a reduced-calorie diet, the effects are much more impressive.

In a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, University of Pittsburgh researchers found that people who exercised regularly and ate a healthy, modest-calorie diet lost weight and improved cardiorespiratory fitness regardless of the length or intensity of their workouts.

Another study published in JAMA showed that it is never too late to reap the benefits of physical activity. Sedentary women 65 years and older who began walking a mile a day cut their rates of death from all causes by 50%.

Resistance, Resistance

If exercise is so good for us, why aren’t people doing it?

Some 64% of men and 72% of women fail to fit in activity on a daily basis, according to data from the 2000 National Health Interview Survey. Americans today are no more active than they were a decade ago.

Resistance, Resistance continued…

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends a combination of aerobic exercise (the type that makes you breathe harder, like walking or jogging) for cardiovascular conditioning; strength training (like lifting weights or calisthenics) for muscle toning, and stretching to improve your range of motion.

Strive for doing all three types, but remember that any exercise is better than nothing. Here are some easy ways to work physical activity into your life:

• Adopt a dog and take it for walks every day.
• Do things the old-fashioned way — get up and change the television channel; open the garage door manually; use a push lawnmower.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Walk briskly whenever you can.
• Minimize use of your car; walk to destinations within a mile.
• Take up tennis or any other game or sport you enjoy.
• Join a gym or health club.

Next time you are tempted to skip exercising, keep these wonderful health benefits in mind and remember, every little bit helps. You may not feel up to a rigorous workout, but how about a walk in the neighborhood?

Don’t pass up a chance of a lifetime — that is, a longer and healthier one.

Your Exercise Daily Routine: How Much Is Enough?

Your Exercise Routine: How Much Is Enough?

Experts explain why some people should try for 30 minutes of exercise a day, while others need up to 90 minutes.

By Heather Hatfield
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

In January 2005, the U.S. government released a new set of dietary guidelines essentially telling us that as Americans get bigger, so does the length of time we need to be physically active.

While it’s a little more involved than that, the guidelines from the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services indicate that at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity is required to reduce the risk of chronic diseases in adulthood. And for some, that’s only the beginning.

“The dietary guidelines committee primarily focused on the role of physical activity in influencing energy balance and weight status,” says Russell Pate, PhD. Pate was a member of the dietary guidelines advisory committee.

“We felt that it was important to reaffirm the 30 minutes of exercise every day guideline as applicable to all adults,” says Pate, “but also go beyond that and focus on people who tend to gain weight anyway even if they are meeting that 30-minute threshold.”

Thirty minutes of exercise every day? And in some cases, even more? While it might not be music to your ears, it is health to your body.

“Poor diet and physical inactivity, resulting in an energy imbalance (more calories consumed than expended), are the most important factors contributing to the increase in overweight and obesity in this country,” according to the guidelines.

Going Beyond the 30-Minute Threshold

It’s not like we haven’t heard it before: Exercise is an essential part of the health equation, and 30 minutes a day is where it begins.

“Thirty minutes of physical activity is across the board to all adults, every day of the week,” says Pate, who is a professor at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. “There is enormous scientific information to support this.”

Meeting the 30-minute threshold will help a person maintain a healthy weight and reap health benefits like lowering the risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and hypertension, according to the guidelines.

From there, the amount of physical activity a person needs climbs, depending on his weight status.

“For those who are following the 30-minute guideline and gaining weight anyway, they may need as much as 60 minutes a day to prevent weight gain,” says Pate.

And at the high end of the spectrum is 90 minutes of exercise every day.

“The 90-minute recommendation is for people who have been significantly overweight, lost a substantial amount of weight, and seek to maintain that weight loss in the long term,” Pate tells WebMD. “Data from the National Weight Loss Registry indicates that people who have been overweight succeed in losing and maintaining weight loss for an extended period if they are highly active during the period when they are maintaining the loss.”

Ninety minutes is the bottom line for people in this category, although some might comment that most people aren’t even doing 30, so why would they do two or three times that?

“It looks different, and dramatic and potentially controversial,” says Pate. “But whether you like the facts or not, it’s important to base the recommendation on the best science available.”

What Changed?

While these new guidelines may be a frightening thing in the face of a busy lifestyle, they’re not far off from where we’ve been.

“The 2005 dietary guidelines really spell out for us what we’ve been told along,” says Cedric Bryant, PhD, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise.

In 1996, explains Bryant, the U.S. surgeon general issued a position that Americans should strive to obtain 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days. While some might have interpreted that to mean three days a week — a common misconception — the science has always indicated more than that was necessary to maintain weight and promote health.

In 2002, the Institute of Medicine upped the ante by saying Americans needed to accumulate even more physical activity if they wanted to effectively control weight.

“The 2005 guidelines put all this together and refined the information,” says Bryant, “basically saying you want to strive to get in as much physical activity as you can on most days: 30 minutes a day if you’re a person of normal body weight and you just want the health benefits of being physically active, 60 minutes if you want to control your weight, and 90 minutes if you want to lose and sustain.”

Making Room for Exercise

So Americans need to make time to exercise and find a way to work the recommended amount of physical activity into a busy schedule, whether its 30 minutes or 90. The good news: you can do it in bits and pieces.

“The effects of exercise are cumulative,” says Bryant. “It doesn’t have to be done all at once. It’s like loose change in your pocket — it all adds up at the end of the day and meets the threshold.”

So while you don’t need to spend hours at the gym every day, you do have to get the heart pumping.

“Whatever activity it is, you need to move your body to the degree that it’s making you breathe faster or harder,” says Rick Hall, a registered dietitian and advisory board member for the Arizona Governor’s Council on Health, Physical Fitness, and Sports.

And since the new guidelines state you should have physical activity on “most days,” what happens if you miss a day?

“Theoretically, you can’t make up for lost time if you miss a day of exercise,” says Hall. “But in reality, energy balance means that if you burn more calories on the other days, you will in a sense make up for it.”

But the bigger problem for most people, explains Hall, is falling off the exercise wagon, and never getting back on.

“Most people get out of their routine, and give up,” says Hall. “So when you miss a day, don’t try to pack more into your next workout so that you feel so overwhelmed that you never exercise again. At the very least, squeeze some push-ups or sit-ups in at the end of the day, and get back into your routine the next.”

So when it comes to the recommendation of 30-90 minutes of physical activity on most days — can it possibly be done? Yes, if you make it a priority.

“You can do this,” Hall tells WebMD. “You have to make it a priority. Most people can incorporate these recommendations into their lives, no matter how busy they are. But it’s something you have to want to do.”

What Changed?

While these new guidelines may be a frightening thing in the face of a busy lifestyle, they’re not far off from where we’ve been.

“The 2005 dietary guidelines really spell out for us what we’ve been told along,” says Cedric Bryant, PhD, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise.

In 1996, explains Bryant, the U.S. surgeon general issued a position that Americans should strive to obtain 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days. While some might have interpreted that to mean three days a week — a common misconception — the science has always indicated more than that was necessary to maintain weight and promote health.

In 2002, the Institute of Medicine upped the ante by saying Americans needed to accumulate even more physical activity if they wanted to effectively control weight.

“The 2005 guidelines put all this together and refined the information,” says Bryant, “basically saying you want to strive to get in as much physical activity as you can on most days: 30 minutes a day if you’re a person of normal body weight and you just want the health benefits of being physically active, 60 minutes if you want to control your weight, and 90 minutes if you want to lose and sustain.”

Making Room for Exercise

So Americans need to make time to exercise and find a way to work the recommended amount of physical activity into a busy schedule, whether its 30 minutes or 90. The good news: you can do it in bits and pieces.

“The effects of exercise are cumulative,” says Bryant. “It doesn’t have to be done all at once. It’s like loose change in your pocket — it all adds up at the end of the day and meets the threshold.”

So while you don’t need to spend hours at the gym every day, you do have to get the heart pumping.

“Whatever activity it is, you need to move your body to the degree that it’s making you breathe faster or harder,” says Rick Hall, a registered dietitian and advisory board member for the Arizona Governor’s Council on Health, Physical Fitness, and Sports.

And since the new guidelines state you should have physical activity on “most days,” what happens if you miss a day?

“Theoretically, you can’t make up for lost time if you miss a day of exercise,” says Hall. “But in reality, energy balance means that if you burn more calories on the other days, you will in a sense make up for it.”

But the bigger problem for most people, explains Hall, is falling off the exercise wagon, and never getting back on.

“Most people get out of their routine, and give up,” says Hall. “So when you miss a day, don’t try to pack more into your next workout so that you feel so overwhelmed that you never exercise again. At the very least, squeeze some push-ups or sit-ups in at the end of the day, and get back into your routine the next.”

So when it comes to the recommendation of 30-90 minutes of physical activity on most days — can it possibly be done? Yes, if you make it a priority.

“You can do this,” Hall tells WebMD. “You have to make it a priority. Most people can incorporate these recommendations into their lives, no matter how busy they are. But it’s something you have to want to do.”