Is less exercise better for your health

Every day it seems there is new research into what type of physical activity is best for our health and to keep us in best shape. Most recent research suggests shorter high-intensity workouts are better for our overall health (eg for lowering cholesterol) compared to long distance endurance exercise. 

In a Canadian study by Little et al (2010) investigating the effects of high intensity shorter workouts, researchers were able to show the incredible benefits of shorter, high-intensity exercise. They showed that 10 one-minute intervals of strenuous exercise led to the same changes within muscle cells as a 90 minute bike ride (ridden at moderate intensity). This research was consistent with other studies demonstrating similar comparative results. So, when it comes to maintaining your health, short-intense workouts may be the go.

The only issue with these shorter workouts is they are not as likely to result in weight loss as longer exercise programs. However, when it comes to weightloss a lot of research now suggests healthy eating is the key. Simply paying attention to your food consumption habits and avoiding processed foods as much as possible, will make a big difference to your waistline.

Then there is the question of mood benefits. A study conducted by O'Halloran et al, (2004) demonstrated most mood improvements in runners was not detectable until 25-40 minutes into a run when participantsreported feeling less tense, more clearheaded, less depressed and more energetic.

Personally, I find music and high intensity exercise are the biggest factors when it comes to boosting mood during physical activity. Research shows when music is played at a the perfect volume it improves mood. Couple this with high intensity exercise and low processed eating you have a great formula for quick-fix mood benefits and sustainable weightloss.

So, maybe it's time to re-think your physical activity habits and do some research into more efficient and effective exercise programs that will give you back more time and will actually increase your overall health.

For more inspiration and support, visit Happy Life at: www.happylife.net.au

References

O'Halloran, P.D., Murphy, G., & Webster, K.E. (2004). Mood during a 60-minute treadmill run: Timing and type of mood change. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 35(4), 309-327.

Little, J.P., Safdar, A., Wilkin, G.P., Tarnopolsky, M.A., & Gibala, M.J. (2010). A practical model of low-volume high-intensity interval training induces mitochondrial biogenesis in human skeletal muscle: potential mechanisms. Journal of Physiology, 588, 1012-22.

Why do you really want be healthy or lose weight?

It's very interesting to note the magnitude of weight loss products available on the market, yet more and more adults, adolescents and children are struggling with weight gain. So, what's missing?? There must be a piece of the puzzle missing.

Why does it seem to be so easy for some & yet so hard for others to stick to a balanced diet and fitness regimen? Those who find it easy may assume it's just as simple as making a decision to be fit and healthy, but this is not accurate. Often there are various underlying issues which make is much harder for some to achieve their health and fitness goals. I have yet to meet someone who didn't reach their goals because they were lazy!

What's the secret then to becoming a healthy individual: the answer lies in the reasons behind deciding to be healthy. When you're trying to shift behaviour, it's not enough to want it. It has to be imperative and there must be a significant consequence to not engaging in the desired behaviours that lead to heathy living. In other words you must feel that you have no choice - but change!

Once you have reached this point, then you can start to focus on how great you feel - as a way of sustaining motivation, because by this point it has become a way of life. At this habit stage, the routine if healthy living becomes automatic and enjoyable.

The secret thus lies in finding your crunch point. Figuring out - What's going to happen to you if you don't change your behavior today? You may take time to discover your drive. However, if you really want to live a long and successful life, you owe it to yourself to stop looking in envy at other people who are leading the life you really believe you should be living and then go for it.

Start thinking about the cost of living an unhealthy life in terms of the following:

-) money (how much do you end up spending on medical & alternative therapy trying to undo the damage you've caused by your unhealthy lifestyle?)

-) work (how many promotions are going to pass you by as a result of your lack of energy and lack of mental clarity?)

-) love life (how many potential and current partners are you going to self sabotage as a result of lacking in confidence)

-) health (how sick do you have to become before it really matters?)

... And so on

The more you focus your attention here, the more weight you will give to your reasons for changing your lifestyle. 

You owe it to yourself to life your best life & to live a long, happy & successful life

To find more inspiration visit Happy life at: www.happylife.net.au or www.helpformums.com

Is your health getting in the way of your happiness and success?

In the pursuit of happiness it's very easy to neglect your physical body and to ignore the impact that your health is having on your ability to achieve and maintain a happiness and a successful life.

As adults, we spend a lot of time trialling various behaviours that may lead to short term feelings of uphoria (such as excess drinking, watching TV, smoking, and eating junk food). However, whilst you may experience an immediate positive feeling from these behaviours - long term these behaviours tend to lead to negative emotions. Therefore, short term gain can lead to long term pain.

What is even more interesting, is that short term gains in mood are also likely to lead to short term pain. For instance, eating junk or drinking excess coffee can lead to feeling bloated, tired, aggitated, stressed and anxious. These negative moods can leave you feeling unmotivated, unsociable and cloudy headed. Yet, in the moment, junk food and coffee can satisfy an immediate need for an energy boost. So, we can easily fall victim to pleasing immediate needs without thinking about how they will make us feel later and in particular how they will affect our goals..

So why do we ignore the nourishing mental and physical needs of our bodies - only paying attention when something really breaks down?

I believe we often ignore our body because we justify that other activities in life are more important, however if your body is not working efficiently, you will find yourself losing motivation, feeling too tired to achieve your goals and losing confidence in yourself if your physical body is not operating as well as it should/could be.

In addition, the message we have been receiving from the media for many years now is that the purpose of our external bodies is to portray a (pre-defined and culturally defined) beauty. As a result, MANY men, women and kids find themselves comparing their bodies to those they see in the media. Unforuntely these images tend to be well prepared and photographed (or air brushed), giving most people the belief that they could never measure up to these images. Thus, it's easier to give up trying to reach such an unrealistic goal and enjoy the here and now instead.

The problem with this defeatist attitude is that internally these media images "stick"" and as a result people often feel guilty for not engaging in healthy behaviors in order to try to emulate the beauty stereotype. This guilt leads to feeling down and so the search for an instant 'pick me up' strikes again.

So what can you do to stop this behavior?

In order to fight against this way of thinking you need to start viewing your physical body as your tool to achieving success and happiness in life. This means looking after it and treating it well, so that it will in turn assist you when you need it most (eg when you want to play sport with the kids/friends, brainstorm great ideas for a new project, perform well at work, present your best 'self' in an interview or on a date, or stay up late to complete an important project).

Living a healthy lifestyle is much more about giving you the best chance to achieve success, than it is about you looking good.

Let your body be your best tool to drive you to achieve your goals and desires in life.

How do you achieve something you've never experienced

This is the biggest challenge for everyone? It's easy to say you want something really badly, but much easier to self sabotage when you can't see it coming quick enough. Self sabotage also happens when you start making progress towards a goal and see small results. The main reason for self sabotage is that the goal is often something that is unknown and therefore has the potential to let you down. Weight loss is a perfect example of this. Let's say you decide to go on a diet to lose 10 kilos. You feel really motivated. You start exercising and eating really healthy foods. Then you look in the mirror and see you're starting to look good. The subconscious mind then sets into protection mode questioning what this means. What if you lose the weight but can't keep it off? How hard is it going to be to lose the weight - how much more exercise do you have to do to get there? Why should you have to go through so much pain to achieve this - is it really worth it?

Normally, people give in to this line of questioning and end up going back to bad habits. The way to avoid this is to be very clear about your goals and then focus on your plan. Then tell yourself that you're enjoying your plan and FORGET the outcome. Let's go with the weight loss analogy again. So you decide to lose 10 kilos by sticking to a balanced diet and starting to walk 10 minutes a day and build it up (as noted in the Refresh Your Life program). You get up one day and people at work start commenting on how great you look. You start to think "hey I can relax a little now". So you go to morning tea and look at all the chocolate cake. Normally you'd think, "I look good, I can afford to eat the cake". But this time say to yourself "I've got a great plan which I'm enjoying. It's not about weight loss, it's about sticking to my plan". Then you'll stop thinking about the DIET and start thinking about living a new healthy life - sticking to your new plan