Fitness & Moderation

I’ve been talking a lot about moderation this month, so far mostly about food … but guess what?

Moderation ALSO applies to exercise and workouts.

The old days of “no pain, no gain” are definitely in the rear-view mirror. Instead, it’s about the “minimum effective dose” for results.

That means getting just enough exercise to maintain or improve your fitness, without overdoing it (especially when it comes to long or super-intense workouts).

More is definitely NOT better, for so many reasons.

Some of those reasons might be surprising, but my clients know better:

It can set them up for injury
Bodies need time to recover between workouts
It can lead to burnout
It can make them feel hungry (look up how many amateur female marathoners are fatter on race day than on the first day they started training)
It can make them tired, which means they’re less active the rest of the day, burning fewer calories than they would have without exercising, and
Doing too many long or super-intense workouts is not good for the heart

The key is for my clients to find the right mix for their fitness level, their goals, and their likes/dislikes.

A fitness prescription (recommended by the AHA):

Strength training that hits all the major muscle groups at least twice a week. (I'm currently using a 5x5 program in my home gym.)
For cardio, 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity every week, spread out over the course of the week. (I'm playing approximately 2 hours tennis 3-4 times per week. That way I don't notice that I'm doing all that running, changing direction, and hitting a little yellow ball high and deep to the Ad corner ... because I'm outdoors having fun with my friends!)
PLUS … health experts recommend cutting back on how much time spent sitting or lying around.

If it sounds confusing – it isn’t!

It works out to just 5 x 30-minute moderate-intensity sessions (walks, jogs, cardio machines, classes, etc.), OR 3 x 25-minute higher-intensity workouts a week, and two strength-oriented workouts.

Of course, always want to check with the doctor before starting a new exercise or fitness program.

Committed to your health,

REFERENCE:

www.heart.org/en/beyond-the-table/stories/even-with-exercise-moderation-is-the-key