Stand up for better health!

We all know that exercise is good for us, but does the type of exercise we do influence our health? Researchers from Maastricht University, Netherlands, found that a lengthy, low-intense exercise may be more beneficial to overall health than a short, high-intense exercise. For this study, researchers assigned participants to one of three different lifestyle regime conditions. The first group were given the most sedentary routine, requiring them to sit  for 14 hours/day with no exercise. The second group had to sit for 13 hours/day, but also had to indulge in one hour of a highly intensive form of exercise. The third group was instructed to commit 6 of the 14 hours to low-inensiity activities, four for walking and two for standing, per day. The study found that the health improvements in cholesterol, lipid, and insulin levels were more drastic and of greater significance in the third group than in the second group. This finding suggests that not only does exercise contribute to one’s health, but that also the biggest health outcomes may not always come from the most rigorous exercise.