Fitness

A three-pronged approach to exercise – Harvard Health

Published

7 months ago

April 20, 2025

A three-pronged approach to exercise – Harvard Health

There’s no question that getting regular exercise ranks as one of the leading strategies — if not the best one — for preventing heart disease. All forms of physical activity, even in small doses, can make a difference. But if you’re looking to optimize your cardiovascular health, a regimen that includes three types of movement may be the way to go, according to a 2024 review article in Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine.

The foundation of this exercise triad is moderate-intensity aerobic (cardio) exercise like brisk walking, one of the go-to options for meeting the federal activity guidelines (see “Exercise recommendations and examples”). Moderate activity benefits your heart by burning calories and boosting metabolism, which helps control weight. But you can reap additional benefits by adding vigorous aerobic activity (the type that really gets your heart pumping) along with muscle-strengthening exercises.

Exercise recommendations and examples Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity (or an equivalent combination of the two). Do strength training at least two days per week — even 10 to 15 minutes per session can be effective. Your age, baseline fitness level, and health conditions all affect what workout is best for you. Ask your doctor for help creating a safe three-part workout to optimize your heart health.
Moderate-intensity exercise Advertisement	Vigorous-intensity exercise
Walking, level surface, 2.5–4.5 mph	Walking, level surface, 4.5 mph or faster, or walking briskly uphill
Hiking, level surface	Jogging or running, or hiking uphill Advertisement
Bicycling, level terrain, 5–10 mph	Bicycling, 10 mph or faster, or up hills
Stationary bike (indoor), moderate pace	Spinning class (indoor cycling)
Tennis, doubles Advertisement	Tennis, singles
Swimming, recreational	Swimming, steady laps
Muscle-building exercise (also called strength, weight, or resistance training)
Weight training using dumbbells, medicine balls, kettlebells, weighted ropes, or specialized machines at home or in gyms and fitness centers Exercises with resistance bands Body-weight exercises (such as push-ups, sit-ups, and squats) Heavy gardening or yard work (such as digging and shoveling) Certain forms of yoga (such as Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Iyengar)

How aerobic exercise helps

“People who run or do similar types of vigorous exercise may have experienced a ‘runner’s high’ either during or after their workout,” says Dr. Tim Churchill, a cardiologist at the Cardiovascular Performance Program at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. That’s because your body releases feel-good chemicals known as endorphins and endocannabinoids in response to intense exercise.

Any kind of aerobic exercise, whether moderate or vigorous, also helps dampen the body’s “fight or flight” response, which plays a role in chronic stress and anxiety. Aerobic exercise also spurs the release of adrenalin and related hormones that stimulate receptors in the heart to beat more frequently and forcefully. Over time, the heart becomes more efficient, requiring less effort to send blood through the body. And as more blood circulates through the body, blood vessels expand slightly and become more flexible.

Why muscle-building matters

Including muscle-building exercises in your weekly routine has a synergistic effect with aerobic exercise that can further enhance your heart health. Strength training can make your body more efficient at burning fat for energy. It also helps improve how your body responds to insulin, the hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar levels, Dr. Churchill says. That can help prevent or improve diabetes, a potent risk factor for heart disease. Strength training also promotes the production of nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes and widens blood vessels. “Your arteries are then better able to relax, which helps to maintain normal blood pressure,” says Dr. Churchill.

As the review article notes, combining strength with moderate-intensity and some vigorous aerobic exercise leads to greater reductions in resting heart rate, blood pressure, body weight, and body fat percentage than doing single forms of exercise. “Exercise clearly improves a lot of specific markers related to cardiovascular disease. But when you add up all those individual effects, it still only accounts for about 50% of the overall health benefit related to doing regular physical activity,” says Dr. Churchill. The elusive remaining 50% is why the decades-long quest to create “exercise in a pill” will probably never materialize, he adds.

Image: © Pyataeva Irina/Getty Images

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Fitness

One minute of this exercise could be ‘six times better’ than walking for heart health, scientists reveal in new study

Published

12 hours ago

November 27, 2025

Press Room

One minute of this exercise could be ‘six times better’ than walking for heart health, scientists reveal in new study

Movement is key to longevity. We bang on about it a lot, but it really is the best thing we can do for our physical and mental health in the short and long term. But how much movement we should be doing is up for discussion.

Studies have shown that exercising for long periods of time isn’t always necessary, which is good news, as so many of us are busy and time-poor. Now, new research shows that even just one minute of intense exercise is better for our heart health than walking for much longer amounts of time.

This new study found that one minute of vigorous intensity activity gives the same overall health benefits as around eight minutes of moderate intensity activity and 53 to 156 minutes of light intensity exercise, such as walking. Vigorous exercise could include brisk walking, running, climbing the stairs, fast cycling, dancing or any other activity that gets your heart rate up and leaves you out of breath.

The team behind this new study, published in Nature Communications, states that previous studies using fitness trackers found that “vigorous activity may be considerably more time efficient than moderate or light intensity activities in producing cardiovascular and metabolic adaptations”. To further prove this, they used 73,485 participants, with a mean age of 61, and asked them to wear a device 24 hours a day for seven days.

The researchers say their findings are in “stark contrast” to the often cited ratio of 1:2 minutes for vigorous and moderate intensity exercise. The NHS uses this ratio for its online exercise guidelines, where it recommends adults aged 19 to 64 do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week.

The authors say: “These findings are particularly relevant for adults at high risk of disease, or those who are time poor, and suggest different health promotion strategies. For example, exercising at different intensities or completing light intensity daily activities such as household tasks, stair climbing, or light strolling could be interspersed with short bursts of fast walking for a more impactful physical activity session.”

The findings come just a few months after woman&home reported on another study using fitness trackers on participants, which found that short one-minute bursts of vigorous exercise helped us all live longer. Researchers from the University of Sydney reviewed 3,293 American adults with an average age of 51 from the 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) who didn’t do any structured exercise.

What counts as vigorous intensity exercise?

The key to getting the benefits of vigorous intensity exercise is doing it at the right level. You’ll know you’re working hard enough when you can only say a couple of words without pausing for a breath, and you’re starting to sweat after a few minutes.

If you wear a fitness tracker, make sure you’re in 80 to 100% of your maximum heart rate (220 minus your age).

Should we still be walking?

Absolutely. While more studies are proving significant health benefits can be seen with short bursts of exercise, walking should still be included in your exercise regimen. Regular walking workouts will be better than doing one minute of vigorous intensity exercise every few days, that’s for sure.

There are so many benefits of walking. It’s great for maintaining muscle mass, mobility and flexibility as we age. It’s free and accessible for everyone, whatever your age or fitness level. Plus, getting a good amount of steps in each day will improve your sleep, blood pressure and stress levels.

As mentioned above, walking briskly will bring greater health benefits, but anything you can do will make a difference. A study by Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that women who averaged at least 4,400 steps a day had a significantly reduced mortality rate compared to those who took 2,700 steps. As the number of steps increased, the mortality rate decreased, up to 7,500 steps.

If you’re new to exercising, speak to a personal trainer and your GP first to make sure your regime is tailored to your individual needs and health.

Fitness

Local gym providing more space for exercise in South Salt Lake

Published

1 day ago

November 27, 2025

Press Room

Local gym providing more space for exercise in South Salt Lake

SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah — Inside Define Fitness, Valeria Macias gets the gym ready for the next class, creating a space not just for movement, but a place for everyone to feel welcome.

After being a personal trainer in Millcreek, she decided to open her own gym. Her dream became a reality when she opened Define Fitness’s doors in March of 2025.

“I just really wanted to make lifting and pilates accessible to women,” she said. “I want to break the barriers down for fitness. I want people to feel welcome.”

She provides strength training, pilates and personal training classes for people of all skill levels.

“It’s good exercise to keep me sane,” she said. “Pilates is really well known for deep core work and getting your breathing in check.”

“We just want to get some good energy and movement going before you head back to your family and have a nice big meal.”

She will be holding a Thanksgiving Day class on November 27 at 9 a.m.

Anyone interested can register for it online here.

Fitness

Most Preschoolers Aren’t Getting Enough Daily Exercise, Study Finds

Published

2 days ago

November 26, 2025

Press Room

Most Preschoolers Aren’t Getting Enough Daily Exercise, Study Finds

Key Takeaways

Fewer than 1 in 4 preschoolers met daily movement goals in a UK study
Kids moved more at daycare, but not enough overall
Experts suggest that early childhood activity shapes long-term health

TUESDAY, Nov. 25, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Most kiddos ages 2 to 4 aren’t moving nearly enough each day, even when they attend preschool, a new UK study finds.

Researchers tracked the activity levels of 419 preschoolers in England and Scotland using special activity belts called accelerometers. These devices recorded how much children moved during school days and days spent at home.

Fewer than 1 in 4 children, about 23%, reached the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendation of 180 minutes of daily physical activity. Even fewer, only 2.4%, met the goal of at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day.

Children were more active on days they attended daycare and preschool settings, moving about 15 minutes more per day compared to days spent outside of care.

But most children were still not active enough overall, either at school or at home.

Boys were more likely to meet activity targets than girls, with 8% more boys hitting the guidelines. Older preschoolers also tended to be more active than younger ones.

Outside of daycare or preschool settings, children from less deprived backgrounds were more active than children from more deprived families.

But when kids were in early care and school settings, those differences mostly disappeared, showing these settings can help reduce gaps in physical activity.

“These findings highlight a critical gap in physical activity among preschoolers,” Kim Hannam, a research fellow at the University of Bristol in England and senior author of the study, said in a news release.

“While early years settings provide a more active environment, most children are still not achieving the movement levels needed for healthy growth and development,” she added.

“Our study highlights the need for coordinated strategies between policymakers, educators and families to support early childhood physical activity.”

University of Bristol professor Ruth Kipping, warned that low activity in early childhood may affect long-term health.

“Low levels of physical activity in early childhood can impact on children’s healthy development and increase the risk of a range of chronic conditions in later life,” she said.

“Early years settings play an important role in promoting physical activity and reducing inequalities, especially as government-funded childcare expands. However, the low proportion of children meeting activity guidelines highlights the need for continued investment and research to support healthy development in the early years,” she added.

The study was led by the University of Bristol, working with researchers from the University of Birmingham, University of Glasgow and Cardiff University, and was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

It was published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health on Nov. 24.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on child activity.

SOURCE: University of Bristol, news release, Nov. 21, 2025