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By kilax, December 31, 2009 5:33 am

We all want to know – how much exercise do we really need each week? How little can we get away with?

There was an interesting (although VERY confusing) article on the Well blog covering this topic yesterday.  The article stemmed from a study done in Scotland that concluded you only need 20 minutes of exercise a week to increase your contentment. Okay, but how much do you need to be healthy?

That’s more difficult to define. The article went into a discussion about “MET” minutes, which are “Metabolic Equivalent of Task” minutes. Huh? Apparently  you need 500 of those as week, and they vary based on what you are doing for exercise and how intense it is. For example, running at 6 mph is a 10-MET activity. So if you run for 60 minutes, that is 600 MET minutes. So, you’re done for the week then? Confusing…

Has anyone heard of this MET mumbo-jumbo before? How do you decide how much to exercise a week? Do you have any exercise goals for 2010?

I aim for at least 30 minutes a day, but usually go by how I feel. If I am in the groove, I will keep going! If I feel like crap, I won’t work out at all.

A few other interesting points from the article (repetitive, but interesting):

According to the Physical Activity Guidelines report, “It has been estimated that people who are physically active for approximately seven hours a week have a 40 percent lower risk of dying early than those who are active for less than 30 minutes a week.”

Interestingly, they did not find that exercise beyond a certain point conferred significant additional health benefits. Instead, the “dose response” for exercise, the committee found, is “curvilinear.” In other words, people who are the least active to start with get the most health benefit from starting to exercise. People who already are fit don’t necessarily get a big additional health benefit from adding more workout time to their regimens.

You do not necessarily have to divide your exercise time into daily allotments, either. Existing “scientific evidence does not allow researchers to say, for example, whether the health benefits of 30 minutes on five days a week are any different from the health benefits of 50 minutes on three days a week,” according to the activity guidelines. Do what suits your schedule.

Meme time! Leah, Gelareh and Holly have all tagged me for the “7 Random Things About Me” meme. Thanks, ladies! Click “more” to read on…

And of course, Happy New Years Eve! Enjoy your evening and be safe!

Continue reading 'How little exercise can you get away with? / 7 Random Things About Me meme'»

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By kilax, September 25, 2009 8:45 am

What reality show/game show do you want to be on?

Definitely TLC’s What Not to Wear. Whenever I happen to catch that show, I always wonder what they would make me throw out of my closet. I do hold on to all of my race shirts, but I only wear them for exercise and sleeping in. I try not to wear too many t-shirts. But, my work wardrobe is admittedly plain – nice slacks and a blouse every day.

And I would LOVE to do a shopping spree in NYC! And to get a hair and make-up makeover. I am so lost with my hair… I don’t know how to style it. I am doomed to be a frizzy fluffy head.

Maybe Steven should enter me as a contestant. He keeps asking me to enter him on Overhaulin’…

Comments (11)

By kilax, June 24, 2008 1:03 pm

Sometimes, for the life of me, I can’t understand why something interests another person.

It’s often television or sports. When someone is talking to me about those things, I have to pay very close attention, so that I don’t start daydreaming. I ask a lot of questions, to keep myself engaged.

I still enjoy the conversation, but the passion just isn’t there. I like to think that having these discussions means it’s more likely that I’ll enjoy these things in the future, but who knows.

So that’s the naked truth about me. I’m sure a few other people are the same way.

But then there are those people who just brush off all of your interests. They make broad statements when you start talking about something, such as “I don’t like ‘fill-in-the-blanks-of-whatever-you’re-talking-about’ ”

This happened awhile ago in a group conversation I was in. I was telling someone that I was going to my first Cubs game this summer, and that I was excited to see what it was like. I went on to ask that person how it is determined who makes the playoffs (or whatever they’re called), because it seemed to me like the teams play a ton of games, and I didn’t understand how it worked (and was genuinely interested!).

Before that person could begin to explain it to me (and I asked him because I knew he was a baseball fan), another person at the table went into their spiel about why they hate baseball and baseball games. Why I wouldn’t have any fun at the game. How I’d probably have more fun working then being at a game. How I might as well not go to the game.

Um. Okay.

Obviously, that person’s issue is bigger than being bored by other people’s interests. But, come on! Remember that saying, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”? I think it’s important to remember that one from time to time, especially in mixed company.

I am guilty of this sometimes, but I try to make an effort, because I am fascinated to learn what interests other people, whether or not it something I personally like.