Normal Heart Rate 5-Minute Exercise? Less May be Better with No Sweat Activities!

Got 5 minutes to exercise? Sweep the floor? Do some vacuuming? Stretch? Do some cooking or food prep? Park your car farther away?

Normal heart rate? A healthy heart rate?

• Researchers are finding that "micro bursts" of moderate activity AS SHORT AS ONE MINUTE can add up to significant health gains!

Here's what they found:

A study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise by Dr. A. McGuire and Robert Ross found that:

Obese people who had more "light" and "moderate" movement throughout the day were significantly fitter than the least active group. This amounts to a 15% reduction of risk of heart disease!

• The LEAST active participants racked up 6 minutes of moderate activity, while the MOST active accumulated 34 minutes a day.

None of these met the "10 minute minimum" of cardio that is usually considered a minimum!

So if you can't manage a workout, get more "micro bursts" of activity!Even with a normal heart rate, you can benefit!

Fitness Expert Lowers the Bar

Fitness experts are lowering the bar by re-defining what it takes to be fit.

• Less obsessing about healthy heart rate, and more just moving!

• After many years of saying that you need to get 30 to 60 minutes aerobics a day, the new advice is – don’t sweat it, because a “little bit” goes a long way.

“I regret preaching the doctrine of aerobics as I did for so many years,” says Harvey Simon, a Harvard Medical School professor, “because you can get the health benefits of exercising without ever buying a pair of sneakers or getting into a sweat.”

• His book, "The No Sweat Exercise Plan" outlines his new recommendations for best keeping fit even with a normal heart rate.
  

Experts Urge New Healthy Heart Rate Standards

After years of preaching the virtues of aerobics and of pushing your heart rate, experts may have trouble convincing people that only moderate exertion is needed for their health.

Dr. Harvey Simon now believes that it takes only about half of what he used to recommend, and that:

• “We need a new way to think -- but the trouble now is convincing people that a little extra effort does go a long way.”

Why? Data from various studies shows that for most of us, the biggest gains in health come from moderate exertion like:

• walking up stairs
• gardening
• doing housework
• walking the dog
• playing golf

Although these activities use a lot less less effort than the recommended 30 to 60 minutes of aerobics a day, moving throughout the day is what is keeping us healthy.

Experts are now busy re-defining fitness because they are realizing that the BIGGEST health benefits come from just a SMALL increase in activity such as:

• Five hours of housework a week
• A nine-minute walk each day with a healthy heart rate
• four hours of weekend golf

These normal heart rate activities will greatly reduce your risk for a heart attack or stroke as well as many other health problems.

Biggest Gains With “No Pain!”

Some doctors and fitness couches are now trying to undo the expectations people have about fitness because their standards were set unreasonably high by the aerobics movement.

Why?

Because people don’t believe they can benefit with less, or with a normal heart rate.

The average person “still thinks you have to train for a marathon to get fit,” says Dr. Tim Church of Dallas, at the Cooper Institute.

• But he says that all the evidence now shows that it takes less than what has been typically advised.

(The Founder, Kenneth Cooper, coined the term “aerobics.”)

Movement you enjoy can take many different forms. If you simply get up from your chair more often, go up and down stairs more times, you will be better off, with a healthy heart rate.

What’s the Best Fitness “Dose?”

So what’s the magic number? What is considered enough?

When researchers reviewed 44 studies, they found that most of the benefit of exercising START with the first 1000 calories of increased activity each WEEK.

They found that this first increase reduces the risk of dying by 20 per cent to 30 per cent, according to the Journal of Medical Science and Exercise.

• To burn 1,000 calories A WEEK or about 145 CALORIES A DAY, most people need to increase their daily activity only slightly, with a normal heart rate.

• A 180-pound person could burn off about 100 calories during 20 minutes of housework.

• Add a 10-minute walk for 50 calories or take the stairs four times a day for 100 calories, with a healthy heart rate, and you’ve exceeded your daily goal.

Scientists are still working on studies that will determine what “dose” exertion offers the biggest gains in health.

• Probably a good idea to challenge yourself to walk JUST A BIT MORE every day by getting a pedometer, or you can find out how many calories are burnt up by your favorite activities on a Calculator

• Less worry about your heart rate, except for a healthy heart rate!
  

“Something” Better Than “Nothing”

Researchers now say that every little bit helps:

• A 1999 study of more than 800 residents of Kings County Washington, showed dramatic health benefits among those who gardened or walked for just ONE HOUR A WEEK.

Although that adds up to only about 400 to 500 calories, the increased activity translated into about a 70 per cent lower risk of dying from sudden cardiac arrest!  Gardening maintains a healthy heart rate out in nature.

How to Lower Your Cholesterol by Exercising

Making time for aerobics such as jogging, brisk walking, cycling and stair climbing can help you increase HDL or "good" cholesterol.

Some research shows that for the best results, DURATION is more important than intensity. 

Very high intensity short bursts of a minute or so also are very beneficial against what causes a stroke and for heart health.

• Aim to work out at least four times per week for 40 minutes a session. If necessary, slow your pace to increase the amount of TIME spent exercising. With a normal heart rate, you can still get big results.
  

Best Anti Aging Fitness? Do Something, Anything!

Studies have supported the notion that a little activity goes a long way for senior fitness and anti aging.

• The medical Journal Diabetes Care showed that ways of moderate keeping fit added nearly two and a half years to life expectancy for patients, compared with those who were sedentary.

A 2004 report by Swedish researchers showed that older adults who exercised ONLY ONCE A WEEK were 40% less likely to die during the 12-year study period than those who did nothing.

What's Wrong With the Old Fitness Message?

For years the medical community preached the need for vigorous aerobic activity and athletic fitness.

• The trouble with this message is that most people think they need to take a daily jog or hit the gym several times a week to boost their health.

Even though people know to walk up stairs rather than take an elevator, or park a little further away, doctors say that their patients don’t believe this makes a difference.

• When we get the message that moderate movement really does improve our health, we might be more inclined to take even a short walk or get some vacuuming done for our daily activity.

• Many doctors are now hoping to undo the wrong impression caused by the aerobics movement.

They are trying to redefine how much to keep fit is really enough, and encourage their patients to think about "health fitness" rather than "athletic fitness."

Keeping Fit for Health or for Athletics?

It is of course still a great goal to be athletically fit, because it has clear benefits, such as improved muscle tone, energy levels and improved psychological well-being.

Don’t throw away that special equipment yet!

• People who do work out vigorously several hours a week should definitely continue this because of the extra benefits, and those with a strong family history of heart disease might be advised to adopt a more vigorous fitness program as well.

And if you enjoy a physical challenge, all the better!

Yoga Curbs Weight Gain

Even though yoga is not aerobic, and not a big calorie burner, it may still stave off that middle age spread.

• A survey that tracked weight gain in 15,500 adults from age 45 to 55 revealed that the normal-weight people who practiced yoga at least 30 minutes a week for 4 of those years gained 3 fewer pounds than those who didn’t.

Even better, overweight yogis lost 5 pounds over the decade, while their non-yoga practicing peers gained an additional 14.

Evidently, relaxation, stretching and awareness come into play for fitness as well.

Don’t Sweat The Fitness Thing

While the experts are re-defining keeping fit for health rather than for athletics, remember that the big benefits come from SMALL INCREASES IN ACTIVITY.

• No doubt we can all think of a few extra fun things that include moving or walking that can increase calorie burning and our well being.

We might even get inspired to do the housework that has been ignored. Now that this is officially counts, maybe the vacuuming will get done more often!

Dr Oz and Dr Roisen also say to "ditch the scale in favor of the tape measure." Why?

• Keeping fit exercise ideally focuses on WAIST-Loss instead of WEIGHT Loss!

For one healthful reason: Waist size is more important than weight, because belly fat is so strongly linked to many health risks.

So while belly weight loss is important, it will happen with increased movement and a belly fat loss diet.

Running: LESS Pain MORE Gain

If you enjoy running, you will want to take a few tips from children and Kenyans -- the world's best long-distance runners, who even though they have small leg muscles, they are always winning races.

• The secret, apparently, is that they loosely swing their arms, shoulders and hips.

Children also run loose like this because their muscles havn't tightened up from years of being sedentary most of the day without a natural flow of keeping fit.

• Fitness experts are now finding that such a "natural posture" eliminates injuries and improves speed. With such very subtle differences, people can eliminate shin splints, stress fractures and calf problems.

Scientists are studying these natural techniques developed by elite athletes Roger Davies and Helly Visser.

Easy & Fun Healthy Heart Rate Fitness

Whether you want aerobic or stretching exercises, yoga or arthritis exercise, lower back exercises, pilates exercises for best ab exercises or to lose weight, here's help to get started:

Have your next vacation be:

• A Fitness Vacation to Get and Stay Fitlist

Get up[ and Move:

• Too Much Sitting's Unhealthy Even If You're Fit with Workouts?

The best way for you to get started with home exercise equipment may be with a mat, exercise bands for pilates exercises, for normal heart rate activities.

Or you may want healthy heart rate exercise bike with used exercise equipment or inexpensive marcy exercise equipment for weight loss or toning.

Normal Heart Rate Exercise to Lose Belly Fat & Prevent a Heart Attack & What Causes a Stroke

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