By now, we’ve all heard it: exercise is important. Exercise helps keep you healthy and stave off a wide array of diseases ranging from diabetes to heart disease. As a doctor, I have seen first-hand the benefits of regular exercise for my patients. I myself, having practicing Martial Art for longer than 20 years, have now switched to a regimen of stretching, balance exercise, and power walking.
So we’re all in agreement that we should exercise. But that still begs the question, what kind of exercise is right for me? What will provide the best health benefits? First off, it’s important to note that any level of exercise is beneficial, even if it’s simply going for a walk on your ten-minute break or climbing a few flights of stairs every day instead of taking the elevator. The best exercise routine is ultimately the one that you’ll stick with long term. Exercise is kind of like cleaning: you have to do it regularly to achieve the greatest benefit.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults aged 18-64 should perform at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or do at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity during the week, with the aerobic activity performed for bursts of at least 10 minutes at a time. WHO further notes that adults could achieve additional health benefits by increasing their moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity to 300 minutes or 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week. In addition, adults should perform muscle-strengthening activities involving major muscle groups at least two days per week.
Most Americans fall short of those standards. As a doctor, I frequently get asked what kinds of exercise are best for health. The answer is that it depends, particularly when dealing with patients with underlying health concerns.
Aerobic exercise is defined as exercise that requires the intake of additional oxygen. Basically, you can think of it as cardio for short-hand. This exercise gets your blood pumping and your heart racing. Examples of aerobic exercise include running, jogging, dancing, riding a bike, and ice or roller skating. This form of exercise helps strengthen your heart and reduces the risk of health conditions including heart disease, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, obesity, type 2 diabetes, stroke and certain forms of cancer.
In contrast, isotonic exercise is exercise the involves the contraction of muscles beneath a consistent load. It is a particular form of muscle exercise in which the muscle maintains a consistent tone throughout. Performing this form of exercise usually involves isolating a particular muscle or muscle group. Examples of isotonic exercise include squats, push-ups, and climbing the stairs. This form of exercise can help improve muscle strength, build bone density, reduce the risk of heart disease, and improve your range of motion.
A balanced exercise regime consists of multiple forms of exercise. Like with food, no single one type of exercise or physical activity will provide you with the full range of benefits. For someone with arthritis or joint pain, swimming is one of the best activities because the water reduces the amount of pressure on your joints while still being an excellent form of exercise. For someone with a family history of osteoporosis, gentle isotonic exercises are a good idea because they can help increase a person’s bone density.
It’s impossible for me to list every possibility here. The best thing to do is research different types of exercise and ask your doctor for recommendations about the physical activities that will be most beneficial for you.
