Moderation Keeps You Moving

SAN FRANCISCO (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Lower amounts of high-intensity exercise may be the key to sustaining an exercise program, says Duke University Medical Center researchers. They presented their findings this week at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in San Francisco.

Researchers randomized 87 "couch potatoes" to one of three supervised exercise programs differing in amount and intensity over nine months. Participants in the low-intensity group exercised on average 187 minutes per week at an intensity of about 11 miles per week of walking. The moderate-intensity group exercised 123 minutes per week at an intensity of brisk walking or jogging 11 miles per week. The high-intensity group exercised 180 minutes per week at an intensity of brisk walking/jogging 18 miles per week.

After the supervised portion of the study, most people tended to move toward an exercise regimen closely resembling the moderate-intensity group. Though the high-intensity exercise group gained the most health benefits during the supervised part of the program, they significantly cut back on the minutes per week and intensity of their exercise during the follow-up. Participants in the low-intensity exercise group decreased the number of minutes per week, but increased their intensity of exercise.

Researchers found lack of time was the most common reason given for not continuing to exercise after completing the initial program. Other reasons reported were lack of motivation, family obligations, lack of exercise facilities, illness or injury, and lack of support or travel.

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