This may seem a strange question since we are always told that any type of exercise is good for us. But, what is the optimal type of physical activity to enhance health? Do we have to indulge in high intensity workouts such as aerobics and spinning? Or can we merely change our life style to include more activities such as walking up stairs and either cycling or walking to work?
What is “health”?
Health, in most studies of the impact of regular exercise, is measured as decreases in blood pressure, improvements in lipid profile, increases in bone density, decreases in body fat and improvements in mood.
These are presumed to improve your cardiovascular health, without necessarily having any effect on your so-called aerobic power, or increase in strength and exercise endurance.
Previous recommendations
Until very recently the American Heart Association (AMA) was recommending that the amount of exercise required to improve cardiovascular health was actually that required to increase aerobic power quite substantially. To achieve this, it was suggested that people exercise at least three times a week, for a minimum of 1 hour, at intensities at least 70% of one’s aerobic power, in practical terms, measured as around 70% of one’s maximum heart rate for age. In other words, they said that the only way to reduce your risk of heart disease was to get really fit, using high intensity exercise a minimum of three times a week.
This sounds like a good idea, but not very practical for the majority of people. Many people start a structured exercise program at a health club with the best of intentions, but find that either pressure of work or just general lack of enthusiasm and time leads them to drop out within weeks. The drop out rate in aerobic programmes is huge. How many people do you know who are members of a health club which they never use?
New ideas
While what the AMA recommended may be the ideal, the realities for most people are very different. So, does that mean that you are going to have to live an increased risk of heart disease because you just don’t have the enthusiasm or time to continue with a high intensity exercise program?
Fortunately not! Based on a number of studies, world-wide, the AMA are now suggesting that your risk of heart disease can be lowered, and general well being be enhanced by lower intensity exercise. They now suggest that an hour, three to 5 times a week, at around 50% of your maximum heart rate for age, will substantially lower your risk of heart disease. However, this amount of exercise will not increase your aerobic power substantially, so if you want to get fit, this is not enough.
What does this mean?
If you are older, generally sedentary, and carrying a bit of weight, then brisk walking will do this for you. In fact if you are in your 60s or older, simply walking faster when you do your shopping will increase your heart rate sufficiently. Since many people find that walking is the kind of exercise which they can do regularly this is good news. Park your car further from the shops, walk to work, climb stairs and don’t use the lift. It will all help. Don’t get rid of your double story house just because you are getting older.
But you must walk briskly! A gentle stroll will not have the same effect.
If you cycle then you are in an even better position, particularly if you keep your speed above 16 km/hr. Try cycling to work if you can find secure parking for your bike and a shower at the other end. Do make sure that you have highly visible flashing lights on your bike though. Motorists are terrible about avoiding bikes in this country!
Heavy gardening such as mowing the lawn, sawing branches, moving debris will also raise your heart rate and make your sweat a bit if your usual form of exercise is walking from the front door to the car!
This is good news for older people who are not very active. But, if you are young, generally healthy and fairly fit anyway, then you’ll need to do more. High intensity exercise is still the way to maintain the reduced risks you have (hopefully) already achieved through following the old recommendations, or simply because, like me, you love exercising. But, the good news is that, if your exercise intensity is high, then quite short sessions are probably enough to reduce your risk of heart disease.
The main message is to establish exercise as part of your daily life. Do this with high intensity exercise when you are younger, which will then ensure that you are unlikely to become sedentary as you get older. If you are older, change your life style to make sure that exercise is part of it, be it walking, cycling or regular gardening.