Everyone knows that exercise is good for you but what is the BEST type of exercise? The answer may surprise you.
A quick google search of the best type of exercise will probably do you more harm than good in answering this question. You can easily find credible people saying that weightlifting is both the best thing you can do and the worst form of exercise that will definitely cause injuries. The same goes for running, biking, yoga, etc.
It seems like every type of exercise is both extremely beneficial and extremely harmful.
So where does that leave us? We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that exercise is good for us. Countless studies show the benefits of regular physical activity from preventing cancer, to improving heart health, to treating depression. Current recommendations for physical activity from the Journal of the American Medical Association state that “Adults should do at least 150 minutes to 300 minutes a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes to 150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity.” (Piercy, et al., 2018)
So about 2-5 hours a week need to be spent exercising in order to get all of the benefits that exercise can provide. Which actually gives us the answer that we are looking for.
So what is the best type of exercise?
The one that you will actually do.
What matters is that you are consistently getting that 2-5 hours of physical activity in a week. Not if you are doing the latest hex bar deadlift variation, or the newest hot yoga class. Pick something that you actually enjoy doing. That way you will continue to show up week after week and get all those amazing benefits that exercise can provide.
If you like to run then keep doing that. If you like doing yoga keep doing that. If you like to bike, swim, lift weights please don’t listen to all the noise and just keep showing up and getting your heart pumping and your lungs breathing heavy.
Consistency is KING.
Doing a new workout routine is not going to help in the long run if you don’t stick to it. We know that yo-yo dieting doesn’t work well either does yo-yo exercising. Being good one year doesn’t help you when you stop for five. You must be consistent.
Find the type of exercise that you enjoy and do that one despite what you may read in the newest headlines.
Now that being said, if you want to increase the effectiveness of whatever exercise you do enjoy then I think high-intensity interval training is going to give you the biggest bang for your buck. Which you can learn more about at http://www.catalystimpacts.com
I hope that this has been helpful if you have any questions please leave them in the comments below.
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So again this is Floyd Meyer reminding you to Exercise Better so you can Do More!
References
Piercy KL, Troiano RP, Ballard RM, et al. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. JAMA.2018;320(19):2020–2028. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.14854
Gebel, K., Ding, D., Chey, T., Stamatakis, E., Brown, W. J., & Bauman, A. E. (2015). Effect of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity on All-Cause Mortality in Middle-aged and Older Australians. JAMA Internal Medicine,175(6), 970. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.0541
Gibala, M. J. (2007). High-intensity interval training: A time-efficient strategy for health promotion? Current Sports Medicine Reports, 6(4), 211-213. doi:10.1007/s11932-007-0033-8
Karlsen, T., Aamot, I., Haykowsky, M., & Rognmo, Ø. (2017). High Intensity Interval Training for Maximizing Health Outcomes. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases. doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2017.03.006
Kessler, H. S., Sisson, S. B., & Short, K. R. (2012). The Potential for High-Intensity Interval Training to Reduce Cardiometabolic Disease Risk. Sports Medicine, 42(6), 489-509. doi:10.2165/11630910-000000000-00000 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2707428
Catalyst Impacts 