Hockey's back! Yeah! I don't know about you but I am a hockey fan. Last year when we had to go through the whole winter with no hockey I didn't know what to do with myself.
Hockey is hard work. Have you ever played it as a steady team member for any length of time? When I was a kid, I used to play out in the street with the neighbourhood kids. I was one of the only female players. I was tough though, so soon earned my right to play. I also played in gym class. There was no girls hockey teams back then though since most girls would rather do something else like dance or gymnastics. So, yes I picked up gymnastics.
Later as I got older, I advanced to baseball, touch football, basketball, and volleyball. Tennis was always a great sport to play against the wall on your own.
I worked out in the weight room with my boyfriend when I was in highschool. I went to kick boxing with my sister after I had my son and couldn't lose those pesky 35 pounds.
Then I hit the wonderful magical year of 30. It was like there was a switch that went off somewhere in my head. All of my drive disappeared. All of a sudden I was developing illnesses I had never been worried about before. I had pains in my joints that weren't there yesterday. I was getting "old". With that, I found it hard to get out of bed and walk to the bus stop a block away. What had happened to me?
Why all of a sudden as soon as you hit 30 does exercising for fun;i.e. a sport you love to play, turn into something else that is dreaded?
That I think is where we are starting to lose perspective though. We get lost in the thought or image of sweating, groaning and hurting in the name of exercise. The more we think about it, the less ambition we have to pursue it. No pain, no gain, right?
Not necessarily.
I found the following article to give me a little more of a positive lift. I am on the right track, even if all I am doing is my 20 minute walk every day. You can be as well.

You Don't Have to Strain for Cardio Fitness Gains
Copyright 2005 Daily News Central

Quantity may beat quality when it comes to exercise and
heart health. Adults who engage in mild exercise -- such as
walking briskly for 12 miles or exercising moderately for
125-200 minutes over the course of a week -- can improve
their aerobic fitness significantly and reduce their risk
of cardiovascular disease, according to a study published
in Chest.

"The classic exercise regimen has a component of intensity
up to 80 percent of someone's maximum for health benefits,"
says lead author Brian D. Duscha of Duke University Medical
Center in North Carolina.

"Our study demonstrates that you can exercise at an
intensity much less than that and still achieve fitness
benefits," he notes.

"People find exercise 'hard' and few people want to
exercise at an intensity higher than they have to. Walking
briskly for 12 miles a week per week is realistic and does
not require anyone to incorporate a hardcore training
regimen. Increasing your mileage or intensity will give you
even greater health benefits," Duscha says.

Improved Oxygen Consumption

A Duke Medical Center research team examined the effects of
different exercise training regimens on 133 patients aged
40 to 65 years. All were sedentary, overweight nonsmokers
who had abnormal levels of fat in their blood.

The participants were divided into four exercise groups:

- high-amount/high-intensity (HAHI), the equivalent of
jogging 20 miles per week at 65 to 80 percent peak Vo2
(maximum oxygen consumption);

- low-amount/high-intensity (LAHI), the equivalent of
jogging/walking up an inclined treadmill approximately 12
miles per week at 65 to 80 percent peak Vo2;

- low-amount/moderate intensity (LAMI), the equivalent of
walking approximately 12 miles per week at 40 to 55 percent
peak Vo2; and

- a control group of nonexercising patients.

All patients underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing
twice at baseline and after seven to nine months of
exercise training.

All exercise groups significantly improved their absolute
and relative peak oxygen consumption and time to exhaustion
(TTE) compared to baselines scores.

Increasing Intensity May Help Too

Although the HAHI group showed the greatest improvements in
peak Vo2 overall, increasing exercise intensity from 40 to
55 percent to 65 to 80 percent (at a controlled amount of
12 miles/week) did not significantly improve peak oxygen
consumption. However, increasing the amount of exercise did
produce improvements.

An increase in exercise amount also demonstrated a graded
increase in TTE between groups, although data were not
statistically significant.

"Although our results did point toward amount being more
important, it is very likely fitness levels can be improved
by increasing either amount or intensity," says Duscha.

"This is illustrated by the tiered effect the exercise dose
had on fitness improvements across our groups. We believe
with more people in the study, increasing intensity would
also have been significant," he explains.

Losing Weight Not Essential

Body mass index (BMI) was reduced in the LAHI and HAHI,
groups but remained unchanged in the LAMI group. All
exercise groups lost an average of 2.87 pounds after
exercise. Baseline characteristics of age, BMI, weight,
peak and relative Vo2, and TTE were not different between
the groups.

"A second very important message is that subjects enjoyed
fitness benefits in the absence of weight loss. Many people
exercise with the purpose of losing weight. When they do
not lose weight, they do not think the exercise is
benefiting them and they stop exercising," notes Duscha.

"The truth is, you can improve your cardiovascular fitness
and reduce your risk for heart disease by exercising
without losing weight. Even if individuals do not lose
weight, it is likely that they will lose body fat and
increase lean muscle mass while reducing other risk
factors," he points out.

12 Miles a Week

Adherence to exercise requires motivation and making
exercise a priority, the researchers stress. They advise
those who are beginning an exercise regimen to start
slowly, choose an enjoyable activity, and make exercise a
social activity. Individuals with medical problems should
consult a physician before starting an exercise program.

"If you distill our results down, the public health message
is: You only need to walk briskly for 12 miles per week or
for approximately 125 to 200 minutes per week to improve
your health. This sheds more light on the question, 'What
is the minimum amount of exercise I need to do to get a
health benefit?'" says Duscha.

"Regular exercise is an important part of a well-balanced
lifestyle," adds Paul A. Kvale, MD, FCCP, President of the
American College of Chest Physicians. "Physicians and other
healthcare providers should encourage their patients to
engage in regular exercise in order to obtain pulmonary and
cardiovascular benefits."


----------------------------------------------------
Rita Jenkins is a health journalist for Daily News Central,
an online publication that delivers breaking news and
reliable health information to consumers, healthcare
providers and industry professionals:
http://www.dailynewscentral.com





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