A little exercise helps health

People tend to take less exercise as they age, and general fitness levels drop by one or two percent per year. Low levels of exercise are associated with both heart disease and obesity.

However, even a little increase in exercise can benefit health. Two recent studies reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined 460 overweight and obese, sedentary women aged about 57 who were randomised to exercise training designed to burn about four calories per kilogram of body weight per week, eight calories or 12 calories. Brisk walking burns four calories/kg an hour and jogging eight. So four calories per kg per week isn’t a lot of moving – in this study it took up 72 minutes.

The good news is that added physical activity over six months resulted in measurable increases in fitness and decreases in waist circumference even in the low level group and proportionately more in the higher levels.

Getting off your butt is good for you even if it’s for a little exercise. And certainly if you feel moved to, more is even better.