It’s Official - Walking for Exercise Isn’t Enough

It’s one of the most popular forms of exercise, but walking isn’t as good for you as many people think, according to researchers from the University of Alberta in Canada. 

Generally, low-intensity activity such as walking alone is not likely going to give anybody marked health benefits compared to programs that occasionally elevate the intensity, said Vicki Harber, lead author of a study presented recently at the American College of Sports Medicine annual conference, reports Cosmos.

According to BBC News, Dr Harber and her colleagues were concerned there was too much focus on simply getting people to take exercise, rather than on its intensity. They compared people on a 10,000-step exercise regime, which they completed at their own pace, with a group whose routine was tougher, but which left them enough breath to be able to speak one or two sentences with ease at the end.

Both exercise routines, which lasted for six months, burned off the same amount of energy.

The researchers assessed impact on fitness by measuring blood pressure and peak oxygen uptake. They found the step program increased peak oxygen uptake by an average of 4% over the six months - but the figure for the moderate intensity exercise group was 10%.

…

Harber’s new study suggests the 10,000 step program, if done at a leisurely pace, may do little to combat rising rates of Type 2 diabetes or widening waistlines. “That is a good starting point, but to actually put them into better heart condition, they need to put more huff and puff into their activities,” Harber said, informs StarPhoenix.

Don’t use this study as an excuse not to do your aerobic exercise! Again, walking is a decent place to if you’re not currently participating in an exercise program. Get off your butt, start walking, and later you can incoporate hills or even jogging.

read the whole article here.