Brisk Walking is a Good Way to Stay Fit
October 10, 2005
A study suggests that brisk walk of at least 12 miles a week, for a total "investment" of two to three hours a week, produces measurable fitness benefits, which translates to lower risk for health problems later in life and a healthy and well toned body.
The study volunteers were overweight sedentary men and women who were beginning to show signs of blood lipid levels high enough to affect their health. They were randomized into one of four groups: no exercise, low amount/moderate intensity (equivalent of 12 miles of walking per week), low amount/vigorous intensity (12 miles of jogging per week), or high amount/vigorous intensity (20 miles of jogging per week).
Since the trial was designed solely to better understand the role of exercise, the volunteers were told not to alter their diet during the course of the trial, which lasted six months for the group that did not exercise and eight months for the exercise groups.
The additional two months for the exercise groups came at the beginning of trial, when participants "trained," ramping up their exercise to their designated levels. The exercise was carried out on treadmills.
For their analysis, the team compared two measurements of fitness -- peak VO2 and time to exhaustion (TTE) -- before and after the trial. Peak VO2 is a calculation that measures the maximum amount of oxygen that can be delivered by circulating blood to tissues in a given period of time while exercising. Participants breathed into measuring devices through mouth tubing and wore nose clips to prevent leaks.
All the exercise groups saw improvements in peak VO2 and TTE after completing their exercise regimens and were impressed with the positive impact of brisk walk in weight loss and its other health benefits.
Source:http://www.herald-sun.com/durham/4-655586.html
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