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You have time for modest exercise: Here's motivation

By TOM VALEO
Published February 28, 2006

By middle age, almost everyone would like to lose a few pounds from specific areas. Many women would like smaller thighs; often men would like to get rid of their "love handles."

What they really need to lose is the fat that accumulates around the internal organs: the liver, the heart and the intestines. This visceral fat seems to promote diabetes and other changes in metabolism. Liposuction won't help. The only effective way to get rid of visceral fat is through exercise - something many Americans are dying to avoid.

What makes this so frustrating is that a little exercise can make a big difference. Just 30 minutes a day of vigorous walking would prevent the accumulation of visceral fat in most people, and the walking doesn't have to be in one stretch.

"You can break up your bouts of activity," said Dr. I-Min Lee, an associate professor at the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health who studies the effects of exercise. "For example, walk 15 minutes two times a day vs. 30 minutes once a day. Studies suggest that we can still get health benefits if our activity bouts are as short as 10 to 15 minutes per session."

In addition to preventing the accumulation of visceral fat, exercise - even modest amounts - can improve blood chemistry significantly.

Duke exercise physiologist Cris Slentz conducted a study that showed that people who walked at a moderate intensity actually had greater reductions in the triglycerides in their blood than people who exercised at greater intensity.

Slentz says his study and others like it demonstrate three key points:

1. Inactivity is bad. The inactive group in his study gained about 2 pounds every six months, an amount that would lead to obesity in just a few years.

2. A modest amount of exercise - the equivalent of 30 minutes of walking a day - can prevent weight gain.

3. More is better. People in his study who walked 17 to 18 miles a week - about 45 minutes a day - had the biggest benefits.

Many people joke that exercise increases life span, but only by the amount of time spent exercising.

There's some truth to that.

A recent study of Americans demonstrated that people who exercise vigorously have a life expectancy at age 50 that's about three years longer than inactive people.

A person who exercised for 45 minutes a day, six days a week, over 40 years, would spend the equivalent of about three years exercising.

But longer life is not the only benefit that exercise produces.

Studies have shown that people who exercise have much more energy, and are much more productive at work. The exercise confers protection against heart disease and diabetes. Exercise also prevents weight gain and the lower-back pain that often comes with it.

Recent studies have taken away the most common excuses for not exercising. You don't have to exercise until you drop - walking at moderate intensity is great exercise if you do enough of it. Exercise doesn't have to take much time, especially if you work it into your daily routine.

And it doesn't have to cost much. Walking plus a little weight lifting could produce the same benefits as a gym membership for most people.

The trick is to get motivated and stay motivated.

"In my opinion, you either realize that exercise is really good for you and you make it a No. 1 priority, or you don't," Slentz said.

Tom Valeo writes about medical and health issues. Write to him c/o Seniority, the St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731 or e-mail features@sptimes.com.

[Last modified February 28, 2006, 09:28:46]