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Everything in Moderation
Can the world be divided between those who love to exercise and those who loathe exercise? A recent study would seem to indicate that is true. A research report in this month’s PT Journal states that 38% of adults in this country “never engage in physical activity during leisure time”. The American Heart Association among others has recommended that adults get a minimum of 5 moderate aerobic workouts per week, lasting 30 minutes or 3 intense aerobic workouts, lasting 20 minutes each. They also recommend strengthening exercise at least two days per week. The authors of the article referred to data collected from the 2005 National Health Interview Survey. 24% of the Americans surveyed meet the guidelines exclusively by doing intense exercise. Only 16% of Americans meet recommendations by doing moderate exercise alone and a meager 3.4% meet guidelines by combining both intense and moderate exercise. Only 20% do twice weekly strength training. This trend was consistent with physical therapists and health care professionals. 52% of PTs meet the guidelines by doing intense exercise, 15% with moderate exercise and 9% with a combination of both. 60% of PTs do regular strength training. So while PTs are much better at doing regular exercise, we still favor intensity over moderation.
Why are there such a low number of those who engage in moderate exercise? Are people overestimating the intensity level of their workouts? Are people opting for intense exercise rather than moderate in the interest of time management? Do people need to experience the exercise high and become addicted to it in order to be consistent with an exercise program?
Personally, I do like to work up a good sweat and I don’t feel good either physically or mentally if I don’t get my heart pumping at least a few times per week but as a PT and as a yoga teacher, it concerns me that moderate exercise is not more popular. There are good reasons to include at least some moderate workouts in your exercise routine whether or not you exercise regularly. Here’s why:
- It is better (MUCH better) than doing nothing. Going for a 30 minute walk (better yet, two 15 minute walks to the store and back) or 30 minutes of vinyasa yoga in your living room is a great way to get some activity into your day even if you don’t have time or money to make it to the gym.
- You are less likely to be injured compared to intense exercises. Intense exercise can result in acute injuries such as a sprained ankle while playing basketball or over-use injuries like patella tendonitis from running.
- With intense exercise you learn to push your body to its limits (and often past its limits) but with moderate exercise you learn to respect your body’s more subtle messages such as a tendency to favor one side or another, early signs of fatigue and compensatory patterns of breath and movement.
- Some forms of moderate exercise, especially yoga, incorporate strengthening, stretching and/or balancing so that your workouts can more time efficient.
I know that I am guilty of an all-or-nothing approach to exercise. I like to really ‘work out,’ to sweat profusely and feel weak in the knees when I’m done. I tend be sedentary when I don’t go to the gym or the yoga studio. But studying yoga has helped me to embrace moderation. I walk more often (using a pedometer helps me to feel ‘rewarded’ from those walks) and I enjoy gentle hatha yoga sessions, especially when I’m feeling tired or run-down.
What do you think? Are you an all-out or nothing exerciser? Do you avoid exercise all together out of distaste for sweaty, heart-pumping exercise? Do you consider yoga a moderate exercise? How do you think we can make moderate exercise more appealing to more people on both ends of the exercise spectrum?
Lisa Minn is a licensed physical therapist and yoga enthusiast. She has been incorporating aspects of Yoga and Pilates into her physical therapy practice since 2001 and became a certified yoga instructor in 2004. Her experience ranges from working with athletes at West Point and Georgetown to instructing elderly and wheelchair-bound clients in the fundamentals of Hatha Yoga. Lisa has conducted several lectures and workshops across the US, as well as in Honduras and Peru, where she volunteered her services. She currently resides and practices in Northern California. This and other articles by Lisa can be found at The Pragmatic Yogi.
The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
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