Our lifestyles have changed and our exercise routines need to as well, says health & fitness expert and Kiwi Living host Lee-Anne Wann
Our fascination and enthusiasm with self-improvement shows no signs of diminishing, and there’s no shortage of new must-have ‘super foods’, new exercise trends and equipment aimed at helping us meet our health and fitness goals. With information overload on the internet and an increase of the number of bloggers and video content at our fingertips, it can be overwhelming. Where do we start?
The latest fitness craze seems to be following our every move using fitness trackers that can monitor the amount of exercise and movement we do, trace our sleep patterns, tell us how many calories we have burned and a lot more.
Another exercise trend that continues to evolve is yoga. Hot yoga classes are offered in heated studios, ply yoga combines plyometric movements with yoga postures, and now aerial yoga is done with silks suspended from a ceiling to enhance mat practice.
On the crazier side, I’ve heard of spinning classes combined with karaoke. I’m not really sure about this one – I would be laughing so hard
I would probably forget to cycle while trying to sing.
But if your goal or goals are to lose body fat, improve energy, reduce stress levels, improve blood sugar management, condition and tone muscles, look vibrant and have more time, then listen up: exercising less is actually the way forward – yes that’s right, less is often better!
Not only will it save you time but it will get you faster results that are more sustainable. Long bouts of cardio, training first thing in the morning on an empty stomach or pounding away in the gym for a 60-min training session are not the most effective ways to lose body fat, feel great, and reduce stress for many of us.
Why? Because many of us have higher levels of stress than we did 10 years ago. We are also exposed to more pollutants, we sleep less, we eat lower quality food… and all of this contributes to major stress on the body. These factors make many of us tired, cranky, depressed and fat – and then to tack on lots and lots of exercise? Well, that’s just going to stress us
out more.
So what to do? Exercise less – that’s right, the 20 minute target. Choose high intensity 20 minute exercise options like sprinting up a hill and walking back down for 20 minutes or 10 sec sprints on a bike with a 30-40 second rest in between. The key lies in getting a good sweat up, getting your heart rate high but not for a long time, just a short burst is all that is needed.
Adopt this as your new workout regime and you will quickly feel less stressed, fitter, faster and healthier – and have more time on your hands to relax and focus on improving your sleep and increasing the laughter in your life. Perhaps you could then try some new exercise options, just for the sheer fun of them.
