Exercise is vital for good health. Medline Plus has written that regular exercise is a critical part of staying healthy. People who are active have been found to live longer and feel better. And exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight, while also delaying or preventing diabetes, some cancers and heart problems. Science Daily has reported on Feb. 13, 2103, Long, Low Intensity Exercise May Have More Health Benefits Relative to Short, Intense Workouts.
Researchers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands have found that standing and walking for longer stretches improves your insulin sensitivity and blood lipid levels greater than an hour of intense exercise each day does, but only if the calories spent in both forms of exercise are similar. The researchers discovered that cholesterol and lipid levels improved slightly when participants exercised vigorously for an hour each day, but improved significantly when the participants were active for longer periods at low intensity.
According to this study, being active simply by standing or walking for long periods of time significantly improved insulin levels in comparison to both a strictly sedentary lifestyle, and one in which participants were largely sedentary except for an hour of exercise each day. It is the conclusion of this study that when energy expenditure is equivalent, longer durations of low-intensity exercise may offer greater benefits than shorter periods of intense activity.
