Instead of weaving exercise into our lives in a moderate way, a lot of people approach it with a “go big or go home” mentality. Commitment and dedication are both good when it comes to exercising but working out hard and heavy all the time is not good for you. Researchers have found that moderate workouts like long walks are good for you and could even be better for you than workouts that are high intensity.

Researchers from Maastricht, Holland found this out in a recent study. They split 18 people between the ages of 19 and 24 into three groups. One group sat for 14 hours straight without exercising. The second group sat for 13 hours straight and had one hour of intense exercising. The third group sat for six hours straight, walked around for four hours and stood for another two hours. The group that walked the most showed improved cholesterol and lipid levels much higher than the other two groups.

Study leader Dr. Hans Savelberg says, “One hour of daily physical exercise cannot compensate for the negative effects of inactivity on insulin sensitivity and plasma lipids if the rest of the day is spent sitting. Reducing inactivity by low intensity activities such as walking at a leisurely pace and standing is more effective than physical exercise in improving these parameters in sedentary subjects. Our study suggests that in addition to health interventions that stress the importance of spending enough energy to maintain a neutral energy balance, a minimal daily amount of non-sitting time should also be promoted.”

– Techyville