What is exercise?

Myth # 1: Only aerobic exercise counts

There’s a prevailing mindset that only aerobic exercise counts. You need only open a few magazines, listen to the talk around gyms and it’s easy to get the idea that you might as well not waste your time doing any exercise if it isn’t aerobic.

And of course, not only does your heartbeat need to be at 65% of maximum to burn fat or 80 % to be aerobic but it apparently has to be sustained for a certain length of time for it to supposedly count at all. That’s what is exercise say some pundits.

And just like everything else that has controversial views – the amount of time you have to exercise and how many times a week you need to…. Well it’s a bit like the ‘butter is bad for you’, ‘margarine is good’….. um er no…. actually the latest research says that ‘margarine is bad for you and butter is good’ debate.

What is exercise - the research

Researchers at the University of Pittsburg School of Medicine told one group of participants to do one 30-minute aerobic exercise session per day, the other was told to do 3x 10-minute sessions of exercise per day.

Compared to the 30-minute aerobic group, the 3x 10 minute-session group:

• averaged 12-14 minute sessions,
• they exercised more often
• and sustained it over longer periods.

The reason? The 3x10 minute group found it:
• easier to fit exercise into their schedules breaking their day by exercising in the morning, midday and evening.
• And had many more opportunities to feel good about themselves for having accomplished their goal.

The group who were asked to do one block of exercise sometimes struggled with the motivation to do it and found that if they could not find the time to do the required 30 minutes, they landed up doing no exercise at all.

And here’s my view on what is exercise. Actually, every single bit of movement – even wiggling- counts.Did you know that a real wriggler can burn up to 700 calories in a day?

When we were children

We didn’t worry about whether it was aerobic exercise or anaerobic – we just ran and swam and climbed trees and stayed fit and healthy. We didn’t say: “Oh, I’ve got to play ‘Touch’ of ‘Hopscotch’ or skip for 30 minutes a day and keep my heartbeat at x ….

We weren’t one bit bothered by all that – we just had fun playing.

I once heard about research they’d done where they pitted Olympic athletes (a marathon runner, middle distance runner and a sprinter) against toddlers. The trained athletes had to copy every single move the toddlers made. Apparently after 2 hours the Olympians were exhausted but the toddlers were still happily toddling.

We all used to be that active, naturally. Meantime to believe some of what we read, you’d have thought that toddlers just bumbling around the way toddlers do might not exactly fit into the ‘what is exercise’ equation.

But they have amazing little metabolisms without worrying about whether their activity levels are stop-start (which isn’t aerobic) count. Food is hardly in the one end than it comes streaming out the other in a never ending stream of stinky nappies.

But Cari....aerobics IS what counts

I’M NOT SAYING AEROBIC EXERCISE IS BAD. I’m just saying it’s not the only factor that counts when it comes to what is exercise. It's also not the only way to stay fit rather than fat. As far as I'm concerned, when you understand quantum energy enjoyment and fun are every bit as important.

I’m talking about Mr and Ms Average here who, if they were able to forget about all the prescriptions about what is exercise and what isn’t, or who knew that you didn't have to go to a gym to be fit and healthy could be having a lot more exercise fun.

If they forgot that there is supposedly a ‘right way’ or a ‘wrong way’ and just got out and enjoyed themselves being active without worrying about whether:

• what they are doing is exercise or not.
• their heartbeat is high enough or not?
• they are doing it often enough?

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