Don’t want to exercise?
We are inundated on a daily basis with advertisements showing healthy, fit, and very muscular young people working out at gyms. They tell us that in order to be happy and healthy we too must join the gym, perform Parkour, Pilates, CrossFit, and run a marathon….
But, what if we can’t, or simply don’t want to.
Some of us have suffered injuries in the past which we are afraid to aggravate. Some have chronic conditions which may be painful or slow us down. And some of us simply do not enjoy high intensity exercise. And that is ok.
According to an article published in JAMA in 2015*, a recent study done in Taiwan showed that people who exercised only 15 minutes a day at a moderate intensity have a reduced rate of mortality. This data has been reinforced by European and American researchers who showed that those who performed low intensity exercise had an increased life span as compared with in-active peers. These studies show that even 10-15 minutes of exercise a day can have substantial health benefits. Physical fitness refers to a state of well-being that allows one to meet the demands of daily living. Incorporating basic exercises into your daily routine will increase your strength and agility, making those daily chores so much easier.
Moreover, did you know that muscle burns more calories than fat? According to studies, muscle has a daily metabolic rate of about three times that of fat. What this means is that by increasing overall strength you will also increase your metabolism. You know that movie you really want to watch? Stand up for the first ten minutes of the movie. After that, hold some weights or a water bottle and move your arms while you watch. You could even put on some ankle weights and move your legs at the exciting part of the movie.
*Thijs M. H. Eijsvogels, PhD1; Paul D. Thompson, MD2
JAMA. 2015;314(18):1915-1916. doi:10.1001/jama.2015.10858.
