How can you tell the difference between a "long-term exerciser" and a "never-athlete" at a glance? A netizen's answer was praised by many people: "People who exercise for a long time not only look younger, but also have a firm and tall body, and exude confidence and sunshine from the inside out." ”
Indeed, people who have the habit of exercising can often deeply realize that when exercising, the whole person's energy and mood will become different. Exercise not only brings people physical health and pleasure, but also takes away negative emotions, anxiety and stress, just like a comprehensive "purification" and "detoxification" of the body and mind.
Therefore, many people say that "exercise is the cure for everything". August 8th National Fitness Day, 6 "best exercise" ways, many people don't exercise right!
Photo by Jin Peng
6 "Best Exercises" Ways,
A lot of people don't exercise right!
1. The best exercise to improve sleep – strength training
Insomnia, easy awakening, difficulty falling asleep, poor sleep effect...... Many people have sleep problems, what should they do if they want to improve their sleep quality but don't want to use drugs indiscriminately? In June 2024, a study published in the international academic journal PLoS · Synthesis found that strength training was the most effective in improving sleep and improving sleep quality after comparing the effects of different measures such as exercise, diet, and sleep hygiene on sleep quality! ①
Screenshot of the study
The study found that for people under 65 years of age, strength training is the most effective non-drug way to improve sleep quality, and is more effective than aerobic exercises such as running and walking.
2. The best exercise for anti-depression – dancing exercise
Have you noticed that after a sweaty workout, the whole person is in a better mood! Exercise has been recognized in several clinical practice guidelines as an effective means of improving physical and mental health. In January 2024, a finding on the relationship between exercise and depression published in the United Kingdom Medical Journal: exercise can have a good therapeutic effect on depression, and the best exercise to combat depression is - dancing!
In addition, walking and jogging, yoga, strength training, mixed aerobics, tai chi are also good options. ②
3. The best exercise for life extension - swing the racket
Life lies in exercise, and exercise helps prolong life! Previously, a study published in the well-known medical journal "The Lancet" involving 80,000 people and lasting 15 years on the relationship between different types of sports and all-cause mortality found that the best life-prolonging exercise is swinging racket sports (badminton, table tennis, tennis, etc.), which can reduce all-cause mortality by 47%. ③
Screenshot of the study
Swinging racket sports often require the mobilization of multiple muscle groups in the body, the eyes look at the ball to carry out hand-eye coordination, and at the same time, at the moment of hitting the ball, there will be a relative explosive force. It emphasizes coordination, flexibility, and a certain amount of endurance, which can help us improve musculoskeletal strength, improve cardiopulmonary function and coordination, make people's attention more concentrated, keep the brain in an active state, and play a role in helping to delay brain aging and protect cardiovascular disease.
4. The best exercise to lower blood pressure – isometric exercise
Proper exercise is a very good way to lower blood pressure. A study published in the international authoritative journal United Kingdom Sports Medicine in 2023 found that all types of exercise helped lower blood pressure, but "isometric exercise" dropped the most.
Therefore, "isometric exercises" are the best choice for lowering blood pressure, such as: squatting against the wall, planks, standing piles, zama steps, calf raising, etc. ④
5. Exercises to increase bone density – strength training
Many people are told that "low bone density" and "osteoporosis" are told during the physical examination. A few days ago, a study published in the medical journal "Bone" found that the best exercise to increase bone density is not running and walking, but - strength training!
Gym strength training area Health Times map
The study found that strength training was better than isometric contraction exercises such as planks and wall squats, as well as simple physical activities such as walking and running, in increasing and maintaining bone density. Therefore, if you also have the problem of low bone density, in addition to diet, increase strength training appropriately to better increase bone density! ⑤
6. The best exercise to relieve low back pain – walking exercises
Back pain is one of the common chronic diseases that plague many people. What exercises can relieve recurrent episodes of lower back pain? In June 2024, a study published in the internationally renowned medical journal The Lancet showed that walking is not only a low-cost, low-risk exercise, but also significantly reduces the recurrence of low back pain, especially for those with initial back pain. ⑥
Screenshot of the study
Walking, as a simple and easy form of exercise, is suitable for most people to do at any time. Not only is it simple and easy to implement, but it is also very effective, and it is a very cost-effective health regimen. The benefits of walking for physical health are manifold, helping to enhance heart and lung fitness, improve blood circulation, lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and more.
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Exercise wants to get twice the result with half the effort and do these three things well
1. The best time to exercise – after 6 p.m
Is it better to exercise in the morning or in the afternoon? Is there also the best time to exercise?
According to a study published in the April 2024 issue of the journal Diabetes Nursing, people with obesity or diabetes are most effective and benefit from exercising after 18 o'clock (7); A study published in the journal Obesity in June 2024 also found that the best time of day to exercise is also after 18 o'clock, and exercising after 18 o'clock is most beneficial for lowering blood sugar. ⑧
2. Optimal exercise duration – 30-60 minutes
Many people believe that the more exercise, the better, and that the longer the exercise, the greater the benefit. But a study of more than 1.2 million people published in The Lancet · Psychiatry found that the idea was wrong. In terms of duration, the optimal duration of each exercise is between 30-60 minutes, with a peak of around 45 minutes; If you exercise for more than 90 minutes, it can even have a negative effect. ⑨
3. Optimal exercise intensity – Moderate intensity
If the exercise intensity is too low, it will have no effect, and if the exercise intensity is too high, it is easy to get injured. Both existing research and exercise experts recommend that exercise at least moderate intensity. The heart rate of moderate intensity exercise is controlled in the maximum heart rate range of 60%~85%, and the heart rate is generally 100~140 beats/min during exercise. ⑩
This article is synthesized from:
①Hirohama K, Imura T, Hori T, Deguchi N, Mitsutake T, Tanaka R. The effects of nonpharmacological sleep hygiene on sleep quality in nonelderly individuals: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PLoS One. 2024; 19(6):e0301616. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0301616
②Noetel M, Sanders T, Gallardo-Gómez D, Taylor P, del Pozo Cruz B, van den Hoek D et al. Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials BMJ 2024; 384 :e075847 doi:10.1136/bmj-2023-075847
③Chekroud S R , Ralitza G , Zheutlin A B , et al. Association between physical exercise and mental health in 1·2 million individuals in the USA between 2011 and 2015: a cross-sectional study[J]. Lancet Psychiatry, 2018:S221503661830227X-.
④Exercise training and resting blood pressure：a large-scale pairwise and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. British Journal of Sports Medicine Published Online First: 25 July 2023.
⑤Amy T Harding et al.,Effects of supervised high-intensity resistance and impact training or machine-based isometric training on regional bone geometry and strength in middle-aged and older men with low bone mass: The LIFTMOR-M semi-randomised controlled trial, Bone. 2020 Jul:136:115362. doi: 10.1016/j.bone.2020.115362.
⑥Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an individualised, progressive walking and education intervention for the prevention of low back pain recurrence in Australia (WalkBack): a randomised controlled trial.thelancet.Published online June 19, 2024
⑦Angelo Sabag,Matthew N. Ahmadi,Monique E. Francois, Svetlana Postnova, Peter A. Cistulli, Luigi Fontana, Emmanuel Stamatakis; Timing of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity, Mortality, Cardiovascular Disease, and Microvascular Disease in Adults With Obesity. Diabetes Care 19 April 2024; 47 (5): 890–897. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-2448
⑧Antonio Clavero-Jimeno, Manuel Dote-Montero,et al. Impact of lifestyle moderate-to-vigorous physical activity timing on glycemic control in sedentary adults with overweight/obesity and metabolic impairments,Obesity, published: 10 June 2024 https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.24063
⑨Association between physical exercise and mental health in1.2 million individuals in the USA between 2011 and 2015:a cross-sectional study Published:August 08,2018 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30227-X
(10) General Administration of Sports of China. "National Fitness Guide"
https://www.sport.gov.cn/n315/n20067006/c20324479/content.html
Source: Health Times