May 29 2010

Graehm Gray: “Take Ten!” Ten Minutes of Exercise Is The New 30!

I have always felt that doing some type of physical activity is important. In fact my cardiologist, who is really my primary care doctor, and is truly a fantastic doctor, has always advised me that if you can spare ten minutes-take it and do something, do anything, but do it for ten minutes. Of course he also said that it’s better to do the exercise for 30, 60-or even 90 minutes a day, but ten minutes is good too! I read all of the exercise recommendations for kids and adults from the different organizations and don’t feel that they are addressing the American public. For people that work, time is money. Now that’s not an excuse. It’s the truth. Some people wake up at, well let’s just say darn early and have to be at work early! Stay all day at work, come home and if they don’t have a second job that they have to go to, their second job begins at home. Take care of the kids, go food shopping, prepare dinner, clean the house, write checks for the endless bills that come in, clean clothes or even take care of elderly parents. It doesn’t stop. And now, the exercise recommendations come along that say to exercise for 30-60 or 90 minutes a day. Oh, let’s not forget the nutrition recommendations that we should follow: eat five servings of fruits and veggies a day, drink low fat or zero fat milk, eat lots of fiber and complex carbohydrates-it just doesn’t stop!

So when my doctor told me to “take ten,” I realized that he was right. Yea, I know it’s not a lot. But ten minutes a day is do-able! I want to do 90 minutes. I really love working out in the gym and running on the treadmill. I used to play tennis nonstop and practice karate but a shoulder and hand injury changed that. So I am left with the gym. But my friends, I must tell you, with my lifestyle, writing, traveling, sometimes I can spare ten minutes- not 30 or 60 and definitely not 90. In fact I don’t know who does 90. Wait, I do-high school, college and professional athletes spend lots of time exercising in their particular sports. And I see many people running on the street. So I guess there are those that do spend a lot of time exercising. That’s great. But for most of us, it’s not a reality. Many of my friends even dislike exercising. That’s why I feel strongly that kids in school should be exposed to individual type of fitness/exercise activities like Tai Chi, Yoga, Karate, Dance and even working out in a gym. If kids are exposed at an early age, they may find a sport that they like to do and will do it when they get older. And they won’t grow up like many people and “hate” exercise. Team sports are great, but not for everyone. We need to give kids an opportunity to learn a fitness activity they will do for life. For example, if you go to San Francisco, Vancouver or China, you will see hundreds of elderly (and young as well) Chinese, practicing the martial art of Tai Chi. It’s beautiful to watch. It’s physical. It’s self defense. It helps arthritis. It helps the heart. Why not teach our kids this?

So my friends “Take Ten!” You can find ten minutes to walk, run, dance, hula-hoop-whatever! If you can spend more time, per the recommendations, great. But do the ten! It’s good for you.

Stay fit and healthy The New Nerdel Way. And by the way, Happy Memorial Day-the day we honor all of those that served and died while in the military.

Guidelines for healthy adults under age 65

Basic recommendations from ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) and AHA (American Heart Association):

Do moderately intense cardio 30 minutes a day, five days a week
Or
Do vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week
And
Do eight to 10 strength-training exercises, eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week.

Moderate-intensity physical activity means working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break a sweat, yet still being able to carry on a conversation. It should be noted that to lose weight or maintain weight loss, 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity may be necessary. The 30-minute recommendation is for the average healthy adult to maintain health and reduce the risk for chronic disease.

To read the complete set of exercise guidelines, please visit the ACSM.

May 31, 2010: Well my friends, as usual, yours truly got the beat on the latest study to come out today by Dr. Robert Gerszten of Massachusetts General Hospital who found that:

Ten minutes of brisk exercise triggers metabolic changes that last at least an hour.

So you see, maybe “Ten Minutes” is really the new 60!! So why are you still sitting there-get up and move it!!