Parlor Spider...Step In, Little Fly

Insightful thoughts and/or rants from atop the soapbox from one who wishes to share the "right" opinion with everyone.

Monday, June 24, 2013

The Ray Kroc Treatmrent for Exercise

You know Ray Kroc: the person who short-circuited meals in every American household by instituting a chain of wildly popular hamburger restaurants that offered a lightning-fast preparation time for hungry Americans on the go. Billions and billions were sold and continue to be sold, and ever since that revolutionary day, we have become a nation addicted to getting everything faster and faster with as little actual effort on our part as possible. This, of course, came with a price: obesity and a sedentary lifestyle by more and more people.
Now it seems that even the folks concerned about our physically decaying bodies have jumped on the "less is more" bandwagon, as evidenced by the presentations at this year's annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine. Many of the presentations dealt with exercise requirements, and a goodly portion of them involved how LITTLE we had to do instead of how MUCH.
Oh, I get that we're busy...everyone has far too many proverbial irons in the fire to think about devoting the recommended  150 minutes per week to keeping fit. This regimen might be accomplished by 5 30-minute walks at a moderate pace or by 75 minutes of active jogging per week. every week. Americans have not accepted the premise, despite the science that has proven the medical benefits. In fact, it is believed that 80% of all Americans do not meet this standard at all.
Typical of exercise scientists is Martin Gibala of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. His most recent scientific effort gave credence to his theory that short, intense bursts of activity were equal to prolonged bouts of regular exercise. His data suggested that 6, 30-second high-output bursts on an exercise bike were equal to 90-120 minutes of prolonged riding with regard to cardiovascular fitness. While his study was a small one, the use of interval training for athletes needing endurance is not a new idea...and it has been proven, especially with runners.
As for outcomes like weight loss...not so fast. Caloric output needs to be greater than caloric input for weight loss to occur, and exercising for  18 minutes a day doesn't seem to be the right answer. Still, that 18 minutes on a bike is better than nothing, as long as it's not followed by a high-calorie snack or sports drink.
Water is easier and cheaper. It's surprising that our need for "fast and cheap" hasn't led us to regular water.
Ray would like you to take a medium drink and refill it on the way out.

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