Exercise - How Much?

How much exercise do you really need? Many of my clients struggle to start or maintain a fitness program, finding it daunting or time consuming. Fortunately, it doesn't have to be that hard. Recent research has found that the first 20 minutes of exercise are the most important for one's health, physically and mentally. This is as easy as taking short walks a few times in a week. Of course, you can add in things like weight training, and whatever fancypants suspension-Russian kettle bell-cardioyoga-etc. thing you want to, but the point is to do anything active.

On the other hand, hardcore training can also lead to burnout and wind up being worse for you than watching Hunt for the Red October reruns on the couch. Some purported impacts of "overtraining syndrome" include fatigue, muscle pain, prolonged weakness, and even weight gain as our metabolism tries to protect us from our own excess! This is not surprising to us Asian bodywork therapists, who advocate a balanced exercise protocol. In Asian medicine, we often advocate that sufferers moderate their exercise, and include nurturing forms of activity like qi gong and tai chi, which serve as a good crosstraining methods if you're doing a more draining exercise like distance running or weightlifting.

So, basically, just do anything, and be sane. That's it. Enjoy yourself, and you'll be likely to continue for it's own sake.