In Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, Konstantin Levin keeps himself strong and healthy by tending to his immense farm, even taking up a scythe to mow his fields. Perhaps you are a modern day Levin who, in part, gets her exercise from mowing the lawn. While this certainly can provide you with some health benefits (as well as a nicely manicured lawn), it's not really an optimal exercise regimen.
Consider the fact that how long you are doing this activity depends a lot on the size of your lawn. If you have a small lawn, and you want to really get your heart rate up, do you then go and mow the neighbor's lawn? If it's a big lawn, do you do part of it on one day and then finish another day? The intensity of your lawn-mowing workout will also depend on how high the grass is and what kind of mower you have. Then there is the problem of unintentional breaks such as when you run out of gas or perhaps when nature calls.
If mowing the lawn isn't a great way to exercise then what is? Let me answer this question after I first note that in this blog, what I am discussing is an optimal exercise regimen when your time is limited -- which is quite different than trying to fit physical activity into your daily life by, say, parking your car a few extra feet away from the grocery store.
Interestingly, Galen, physician to the gladiators and Roman emperors Marcus Aurelius and his son Commodus, described optimal exercise in the second century A.D. when he wrote, "To me it does not seem that all movement is exercise, but only when it is vigorous." A modern dictionary definition goes something like, "bodily exertion for the sake of developing or maintaining physical fitness."
So, why not count vacuuming, taking the stairs at work instead of the elevator or lifting bags of groceries?
Well, you can include them as part of a healthy lifestyle, because studies show that people get significant health benefits from staying active. Thus, it's an excellent idea to add physical exertion in its many forms to your daily life. However, not all physical activities count as optimal exercise -- the type of physical activity that will give you the greatest health benefits in the least amount of time.
If you are a busy person, you might be interested in knowing how to "sweat smart." That is, how to have a leaner, stronger, and healthier body if you don't have time to waste. The best way to do this is to have a formal program -- physical activity that is controlled. Daily activities are not well controlled. So, you can't count doing the laundry as optimal exercise. Those are "extras", and while I encourage you to do all of the extras that you can squeeze into your day, they can't take the place of a well-planned, formal exercise regimen.
Optimal exercise programs follow the FITT principle. FITT stands for Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type of exercise. FITT is how you monitor your progress and is generally applied to the aerobic (cardiovascular) and strengthening components of your exercise regimen. For example a FITT formula for aerobic exercise would be:
- Frequency: 4-5 days per week
- Intensity: 60%-80% of maximum heart rate (you can calculate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220)
- Time: 30-45 minutes
- Type: brisk walking
The two categories of exercise that confer the greatest health benefits are aerobic and strength training, so that's where you should spend most of your time. Flexibility (stretching) exercises are good to do at the beginning and end of your workout, but they don't have the same profound health benefits that the other two types have. In my line of work, I see people make a lot of training errors, but perhaps the two most common are that they spend too much time stretching and not enough time on strength training.
The best way to divide up your workout if you are on a time budget is to do aerobic exercise two or three days in a row and then to do a strength training workout the next day. Then repeat this cycle. Take a day off once a week or whenever you feel that you need one. An optimal regimen includes aerobic exercise most days of the week and strength training about twice a week.
Keep in mind that it's important to check in with your doctor before beginning an exercise program. A physical therapist or certified personal trainer can help you to set up a program based on the FITT principle once you've discussed this with your physician. Exercise is important to do nearly every day, and if you're busy, you need to sweat smart.
Julie K. Silver, M.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. She is also the Chief Editor of Books for Harvard Health Publications.
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Comments: 25
But I do love the FITT principle. It provides me with a systematic way of thinking about my work out. Thank you.
I've run road races in past lives and gone to the gym a lot, though I seldom do much of either these days. Much the worse, I must say. My exercise is frequent, nearly constant (my heart rate is up nearly constantly, I break into perspiration) but the intensity is of brief duration but frequently during a 40 hour work week.
If I add the gym and more runs or power walks I'll be on my way to the way I used to be and loving it.
For example, bicycling can be a great way to stay in shape and enjoy the outdoors. It's also an activity that can be enjoyed by the whole family. By riding in areas with nice scenery, and in the company of others, it's easy to forget that you're exercising. Bicycling is my favorite form of exercise, and I can attest to its effectiveness for maintaining a healthy weight and improving one's cardiovascular fitness.
In my opinion, strength training is easier to fit into a busy schedule since you can buy equipment for home use. It's also less time-consuming than many types of aerobic exercise.
My own exercise routine isn't for everyone (OK, I admit that I'm an athlete and have been one my entire life). Most of the year, I average forty miles per day on my bicycle, five days per week, with thirty-mile rides on the other two days. I manage this by setting aside time for my rides in the early evening on weekdays. On weekends, it's easier to find time, and I often ride fifty miles or more.
I weight train three times per week (at home). My workouts differ in the winter months when I ride less and switch to running to maintain my aerobic fitness. I also increase my weight-training in the winter months, in preparation for the summer bicycling season. I usually schedule my run in the early morning or early evening, so that it doesn't interfere with my day.
With a bit of discipline, self-motivation, and planning we can all integrate exercise into our daily lives. Focusing on the health benefits, along with improved appearance and increased vitality, can make it easier to stick our fitness goals.
But it IS a very quick way of staying fit.
It's nice to see that you differentiated the differences between "spontaneous physical activity" and an actual exercise program geared to getting you results!
(keep in mind as you read this that strengthening exercises involve a "load" which is the amount of resistance or weight and "repetition" which is how many times you lift the load--a high load, low rep program means you are lifting a lot of weight but just a few times--low load, hi rep is the opposite)
Arthritis
Non-weight bearing cardiovascular exercises help to avoid stress on the joints. Examples include cycling and swimming. Taking breaks is helpful to minimize pain. Strengthening muscles around painful joints can be done with isometric exercises which means that there is no movement (e.g., lie on your back and raise your leg 1 foot off the ground and hold for 30 seconds, either with or without an ankle weight; by doing this you are strengthening your quadriceps muscles but placing minimal stress on the knee joint).
Diabetes
Cardiovascular exercises may lower blood sugar levels, so it is important to monitor this carefully. Lower load and higher repetition is recommended for strengthening exercises.
Back Pain
Lumbar stabilization exercises are recommended to improve core (middle of the body) muscle strength and flexibility. Generally avoid high load strengthening exercises. A physical therapist can give you tips on lumbar stabilization exercises.
Osteoporosis
Weight bearing exercises help to keep bones strong. This includes both aerobic and muscle strengthening exercises. Of note is that swimming and water aerobic exercises, while good for your heart, are non-weight bearing.
High blood pressure
Strengthening is best done with a lower load and higher repetition program while avoiding isometric exercises (which involve a sustained muscular contraction rather than moving through a range).