FORT LEE, Va. (Feb. 19, 2013)-- By now, the allure of New Year's resolutions is gone and the beginning of self-deprecation is starting. Do not fret about it now; start today with focusing on goals to maintain fitness and overall physical health.
Any type of exercise is better than no exercise. A simple goal could be doing a 10-minute brisk walk once a day. The healthy benefits of just 10 minutes of exercise are reduced blood pressure, decreases in overall weight and actually increasing your energy. Split this up in 5 minute bursts twice a day if you are a desk worker and you virtually reverse the effects of sitting all day according to one study.
If one is wishing to get a better night's sleep, it seems that resistance exercise for 30 minutes can help individuals get to sleep faster, no matter what time of the day it's performed. In one study, groups were assigned to measure quality of sleep depending on when they performed their resistance training at either 7 a.m., 1 p.m., or 7 p.m.. The study found that all groups had better quality of sleep. Poor quality of sleep has been associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, to name a few health risks.
Some people would like to be smarter; a little known fact is that greater amounts of exercise are related to higher cognitive function. In a few recent studies, there is a risk reduction of dementia directly related to the amount of exercise.
Exercise sessions were performed three times per week for a minimum of 30 minutes each. This doesn't mean that if people cannot do 30 minutes they shouldn't try.
Any exercise will help as the study states that it is a complex relationship of exercise and brain function with a plethora of varying influences.
As we would all like to look better or lose weight, which is often my resolution, it lacks a definitive measurable amount and doesn't work fast enough. So instead of trying to take the fast road, stick with something a little more focused on the slow.
There are plenty of technology devices out there to measure the amount of steps, time exercising or how long you slept without getting overly discouraged and waiting until the New Year to repeat a failed resolution.
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