Extended Low-Intensity Exercise Benefits

Prolonged extensions of low energy activity prove better for cholesterol, insulin, and lipids levels than an hour of intense exercise, according to a new study by Dutch researchers published in the February issue of PLOS One and discussed in a Julie Deardorf article in The Chicago Tribune {Deardorf (2013). The benefits of long, low-intensity exercise.Chicago Tribune, 14 February, Featured Articles.}

Researchers wrote that, “The human body not only adapts to exercise initiated stresses, but as our results underline, it also reacts to inactivity, that is increasingly becoming the dominant lifestyle in westernized societies.”

This evidence supports the idea that sedentary time causes poor health issues despite time spent doing vigorous workouts. Sitting too much differs from exercising too little, hence the “standing desk” movement.