Moderate Exercise

I wanted to follow up on my earlier post about low-intensity vs high intensity cardiovascular exercise. I don't want you to think that if you don't perform high intensity exercise every time you workout, you aren't getting any benefit. That's not true. There are a ton of benefits that can be achieved by engaging in moderate exercise.

Here are just a few:

*It plays an integral in maintaining weight and metabolic balance.
*It tones all the muscles, joints and connective tissue needed for heavier activity.
*It physiologically and hormonally counters the effects of stress.
*It reduces the risk of breast cancer and death due to cardiovascular disease.
*It can decrease overall systemic inflammation in the body and the risk for a vast array of diseases that it causes.
*Believe it or not, it reduces the risk of the common cold.
*It elevates mood and the sense of well being for 2+ hours after performing the activity.
*It can help alleviate the symptoms of chronic depression.
*It promotes better sleep.

So why am I suggesting that higher intensity is better then lower intensity (overall)? Because it is necessary for fat loss. If you notice above it states that it is great for maintaining weight, not losing fat. It is also great for metabolic balance not increasing metabolic rate.

All the benefits above are fantastic and worth pursuing. So if moderate exercise is what you do, fabulous! But if fat loss is what you seek, you need to up the intensity. Period.

What constitutes moderate exercise? Rollerblading, heavy gardening, leisurely bike riding, brisk walk, mowing the lawn, outdoor hiking, light swimming, dancing, badminton or ping pong - you get the picture. Just lead an active life and you'll reap all the benefits of moderate exercise. But, again, if it's fat loss you want you will have to increase your energy output.