Less is More

I came across this website the other day, Health 101 and found it to have some really interesting articles. One article in particular talked about exercise and how it is standard to aim for exercising 3-5 days a week, for at least 20 minutes at a time, and perhaps this is too much! Our bodies do need high intensity exercise to increase in strength and endurance, but the recovery time is equally, if not more, important.

Think about it. Every time you start up a new exercise program after a period of time of being a sloth, that first workout is fabulous. You feel on top of the world. You are so strong and could go on forever (not really, but you know what I mean). Then the second, third workout sessions (conducted the next day or only a few days later) are so hard and you have to grind your teeth and get through them. What gives? The article states it is because you haven't given your body enough time to recover from that first workout.

They advocate doing an intense, 20 minute workout once every seven or so days and state that this way you get the full recovery and don't lose anything you gained from your previous exercise session. The recovery is the most important part. Amazing. I inadvertently got to try that out this month because of how busy I have been and also Il Tonino having the chicken pox. I went at least 7 days between going for a run and the run after 7 days was fantastic! It felt like one of those first-time workouts.

This doesn't mean we shouldn't be active in-between these periods of high-intensity exercise -- we should continue to actively walk, move, and generally use our body. The key words are high-intensity. So going for a walk around the park is something we should continue to do on a daily basis. (And of course, everyone's definition of a high-intensity workout is different. A 2 mile run is high intensity for me, but would be a literal walk in the park for someone who is used to running 10 miles.)

Read the article and see what you think.