While we are in lockdown, due to this pesky epidemic, a common advice is to do exercise. I agree 100 % with this and I decided to devote a post to this matter.
What can you do when you are confined at home? Well, you can do static running or cycling provided you have already the necessary equipment. (If you don't you better forget it, given the delivery delays). One other thing you can do at home are muscle-toning exercises. There are zillions of videos out there and in fact the World Athletics site publishes regularly videos by some famous champion showing her preferred set of exercises. If you look for something less `amateurish' I recommend the "Fitness Studio exercise videos" form the NHS (that's the National Health Service of the UK), and, in particular, the ones for strength and resistance. Mind you, these are not exercises for couch potatoes so tread with caution.
On the other hand if you prefer to profit from the possibility to exercise outdoors, offered to all during the lockdown, you are welcome to do it. With this in mind the rest of this post will deal with running and walking. The benefits of exercise being unquestionable, one can wonder which of the two types of exercise is preferable. Before proceeding, let us give some basic data. We know from physiology studies that an individual sitting quietly expends 1 kilocalorie per hour and per kg of body mass. This is usually called the "metabolic equivalent of task" (MET). Exercises can be classified according to their energetic requirements: '"light" up to 3 MET, moderate between 3 and 6 MET and vigorous, above 6 MET. The graphic below gives an idea the metabolic costs of various activities.
One thing physicians do agree on is that runners tend to live longer that sedentary. It is even put forward that one hour of running adds 7 hours to one's life expectation (but please take this number with a grain of salt). OK, but how about walkers? Not to worry! Walking offers the same benefits as running, provided the energy expenditure is the same. In other words one should do longer walking treks, while running is more 'compact'. From the graphic below we can see that a 5-minute run generates the same benefits as a 15-minute walk. However you should keep in mind that one should not overdo it.
There exists a 'sweet spot' beyond which one does not reap additional benefits from the exercise. Both curves reach a maximum at some point. It seems that past 4.5 hours per week there are no additional health benefits from running and the situation may even reverse. Be that as it may, the risks from any amount of running are always lower than from doing no running at all. And keep in mind that even 15 minutes of fast walking per day do bring substantial health benefits. So, use the lockdown period in order to change your habits, go out and run or walk. (As for myself, I am doing cycling and walking and I am longing for the day I can go back to the swimming pool).
What can you do when you are confined at home? Well, you can do static running or cycling provided you have already the necessary equipment. (If you don't you better forget it, given the delivery delays). One other thing you can do at home are muscle-toning exercises. There are zillions of videos out there and in fact the World Athletics site publishes regularly videos by some famous champion showing her preferred set of exercises. If you look for something less `amateurish' I recommend the "Fitness Studio exercise videos" form the NHS (that's the National Health Service of the UK), and, in particular, the ones for strength and resistance. Mind you, these are not exercises for couch potatoes so tread with caution.
On the other hand if you prefer to profit from the possibility to exercise outdoors, offered to all during the lockdown, you are welcome to do it. With this in mind the rest of this post will deal with running and walking. The benefits of exercise being unquestionable, one can wonder which of the two types of exercise is preferable. Before proceeding, let us give some basic data. We know from physiology studies that an individual sitting quietly expends 1 kilocalorie per hour and per kg of body mass. This is usually called the "metabolic equivalent of task" (MET). Exercises can be classified according to their energetic requirements: '"light" up to 3 MET, moderate between 3 and 6 MET and vigorous, above 6 MET. The graphic below gives an idea the metabolic costs of various activities.
One thing physicians do agree on is that runners tend to live longer that sedentary. It is even put forward that one hour of running adds 7 hours to one's life expectation (but please take this number with a grain of salt). OK, but how about walkers? Not to worry! Walking offers the same benefits as running, provided the energy expenditure is the same. In other words one should do longer walking treks, while running is more 'compact'. From the graphic below we can see that a 5-minute run generates the same benefits as a 15-minute walk. However you should keep in mind that one should not overdo it.
There exists a 'sweet spot' beyond which one does not reap additional benefits from the exercise. Both curves reach a maximum at some point. It seems that past 4.5 hours per week there are no additional health benefits from running and the situation may even reverse. Be that as it may, the risks from any amount of running are always lower than from doing no running at all. And keep in mind that even 15 minutes of fast walking per day do bring substantial health benefits. So, use the lockdown period in order to change your habits, go out and run or walk. (As for myself, I am doing cycling and walking and I am longing for the day I can go back to the swimming pool).
In case you were doubting, the title of this post does indeed plagiarise the title of the Gabriel García Márquez novel, "El amor en los tiempos del cólera".
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