So consider these seven tips as your roadmap to becoming a fitter in 2024.
1. An 11-minute brisk walk can make a big difference.
The greatest benefits of exercise occur when you start moving a little. Walking for at least 11 minutes each day can reduce your risk of premature death by almost 25 percent, according to a large study of 30 million people. Exercising for 11 minutes every day reduced your risk of heart disease by 17 percent and your risk of any type of cancer by 7 percent. Certain cancers, including myeloid leukemia, myeloma, and some stomach cancers, had a reduced risk of up to 26%.
2. Morning exercise may be effective for burning fat
If you want to burn a little more fat with each workout and slowly reduce fat stores in your body, there may be benefits to exercising before noon.In studies using mice, animals Mice who ran within a few hours of waking up burned more fat than those who exercised later in the day. The fat of mice that exercised in the morning released significantly more fatty acids, the building blocks of fat, into the bloodstream, ready to be used as fuel for their muscles. And in the remaining adipose tissue, biochemical markers of thermogenesis and mitochondrial activity are significantly increased compared to the fat of evening (in mouse terms) runners, as well as increased activity of certain genes related to fat metabolism. Was.
3. Training outdoors increases the effectiveness of exercise
Moving your workout outdoors is an easy way to expand its benefits, not only for your mind, but also for your health, well-being, fitness, and motivation. “Green exercise” refers to physical activity performed in nature, which can significantly improve working memory and concentration than the same short walk indoors. Other studies have shown that the benefits go beyond temporary improvements in focus and may extend to increasing motivation and making exercise less painful. In a study published last year in China, obese and inactive young people who started walking in a park or gym every other day reported that walking outside significantly reduced stress and made exercise more enjoyable. Did.
4. Walking four days a week boosts brain health
It's never too late to exercise to improve your brain health. In a study of 70- and 80-year-olds, walking just four days a week for four months improved cognitive test scores. Brain scans showed that the brain's connections were stronger than before, with entire cells and networks lighting up at the same time, a common characteristic of better thinking.
5. For many people, exactly 6,000 steps is the sweet spot.
There's nothing magical or evidence-based about 10,000 steps a day. So feel free to let go of that goal. A study of more than 47,000 people showed that for men and women under 60, taking about 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day had the greatest relative reduction in risk of premature death. For people over 60 years old, the threshold was a little low. For them, the optimal number of steps in terms of reducing risk of death was 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day.
6. Less intense exercise will help you burn more fat.
The key to finding your fat-burning zone is often to exercise much more gently than we expect. Whether you primarily burn fat or carbohydrates during exercise is determined primarily by the intensity of your workout. As a general rule of thumb, the harder you work, the more your body becomes dependent on carbohydrates.
It may come as a surprise to some, but the lighter your workout, the more fat your body uses for fuel, which means simple exercise is the key to getting into the fat-burning zone. In the study, people were encouraged to walk at a speed they thought they could maintain for at least 45 minutes, usually settling into a pace that was right in their fat-burning zone. The pace also tends to be slower than many of us expect, hovering around 2.5 to 3 miles per hour, or just 20 minutes per mile, for many.
7. Track your exercise to get more benefits
Knowing how much you're actually moving by tracking your steps can help you think of yourself as an active person, which can have health benefits. In one study, a group of exercisers tracked their steps. Some received accurate reports of his 7,000 steps in a day. But another group was lied to. Despite getting plenty of exercise, they were told they only took 4,000 steps a day.
Exercisers who were correctly told that they would walk about 7,000 steps a day reported feeling better and having increased self-esteem. When I started counting my steps, my diet also improved, reducing my intake of high-fat foods and increasing my intake of produce. Additionally, although the amount of exercise did not increase, aerobic capacity slightly increased.
However, people who thought they only took 4,000 steps a day, even though their steps were objectively counted, experienced a slight drop in self-esteem, a darker mood, poorer eating habits, and lower resting levels. showed a slight increase in heart rate and blood pressure, indicating a slight deterioration in health. It was just like everyone else. The results of this study suggest that negative thinking, such as feeling like you're failing at exercise, can have a negative impact on your health.
Therefore, record your exercise and try not to compare your steps or other activities with others. Instead, celebrate discovering how active you are.
Have fitness questions? Email [email protected] I may answer your question in a future column.
