Exercise Myths

By Kevin Jones

Exercise can be a hit or myth affair. You can either try it and love it or be put off from even giving it a go by the myths perpetrated largely by the couch potatoes of this world.

Now, couch potatoes are a weird breed, full of contradictions and paradoxical quirks. I know one who spends much of his life rooted to the settee, remote control in hand, watching elite sportsmen do their stuff.

If he's not watching finely tuned footballers or Olympians go round, he's tuned into lifestyle shows that extol the virtues of exercise and urge people to get a life. He believes he has one. Sad, isn't it?

He is a grand master mythmaker when it comes to exercise. In fact, he could myth for Australia. Here are the five commandments of the grand master and the reasons why they are all dead wrong.

The 1st Commandment: You have to be athletic to exercise.

Wrong. There is more than one way to skin a cat, as granny used to say. Exercise does not necessarily have to involve aerobic dancing or marathon running.

Walking is an excellent exercise activity that requires no special talent or flair, no athletic ability and no specialised equipment.

It can be done at a gentle pace at first and built up gradually into a more meaningful aerobic activity.

Most physical activities do not require any great athletic talent. Exercise can also include chopping wood for your Coonara or doing the housework at a faster pace than normal. It doesn't necessarily have to involve getting changed into shorts and runners.

The 2nd Commandment: All exercises give you the same benefits.

Wrong. Low-intensity activities, if performed daily, can give you some long-term health benefits and lower your risk of heart disease. However, only regular, brisk and sustained exercises, such as brisk walking, running or swimming improve your heart and lungs' efficiency and burn off substantial extra kilojoules.

Other activities like lifting weights might help improve certain muscle groups, but they are not generally going to give you much of an aerobic lift.

The 3rd Commandment: Exercising makes you tired.

Wrong. Most people, as they become more physically fit and able, find that regular physical activity makes them feel far more energetic that they felt before.

People who enjoy regular, moderate-to-brisk exercise, also find it helps reduce fatigue and manage stress.

The 4th Commandment: Meaningful exercise takes too much time.

Wrong. This is a biggie among couch potatoes who don't want to waste any time that they feel could be better served watching Seinfeld re-runs.

It takes only a few minutes each day to become more physically active. Start off small and build up. To condition your heart and lungs, regular exercise does not have to take more than about 30-60 minutes, three or four times a week.

If you cannot fit in 30 minutes in your busy day for an exercise break, try to break it down further into two 15-minute periods or three 10-minute breaks.

In the same way that watching the Tube becomes habit-forming, you might just find that you enjoy your exercise so much you'll want to make it a permanent part of your life. And if you don't enjoy it, try combining it with something that you do enjoy. Love the beach? Learn to surf.

The 5th Commandment: The older you are, the less exercise you need.

Wrong. It is true that people tend to become less active with age, but that only means that we need to ensure that we are getting enough physical activity.

Regular physical activity can benefit middle-aged or older people every bit as much as it can young people. In fact, it can enhance their daily life by restoring some of the youthful vim and vigour. What is more important than age when determining exercise is your fitness level and how best to approach an exercise program.

So, if you're a couch potato or you know one, print this out and keep it on the fridge door. And for those still wondering, you shouldn't eat carrots or any great deal of food before swimming.

Here's some low intensity excercise to get you started...