5 Reasons to Take it Slow

There is a major health crisis in our country; of that no one will deny.  Obesity levels have skyrocketed, and even children aren’t exempt.  While so many continue to search for a magic pill or other quick fix, health professionals know this crisis could be mostly eradicated if people would move more and eat less.  Inactivity has been documented as a major risk factor for human morbidity.  Nevertheless, upwards of 50% of the American population remains inactive.  Furthermore, individuals who begin an exercise program typically drop out within six months.  Inactivity at all ages has become a public health crisis, creating a need for research focusing on discovering strategies to increase adherence to exercise programs.

Below are five elucidations, gathered from recent scientific research, that may offer some guidance for the newly active.  Here’s what you need to know to get (and keep) moving.

1.  Emotional response to exercise predicts adherence

The most basic emotional response to a single bout of exercise has been found to predict future exercise behavior 6 and even 12 months later.  It’s the pleasure versus pain principle; we repeat what gives us pleasure, and avoid repeating painful experiences.  So how can we assure a positive emotional response to exercise?  Read on.

2.  Exercise at levels above ventilatory threshold create negative emotional responses in the newly active

Research examining attentional focus strategies found that most newly active individuals will self-select an exercise intensity below their ventilatory threshold; the point at which breathing rate begins to increase exponentially. This threshold is closely associated with the lactate  and the anaerobic threshold, and is basically the point at which exercise intensity becomes what most would define as “hard”.  Below this point, activity is associated with a pleasurable response, and the exerciser is able to detach (dissociate) from the activity by listening to music, daydreaming, or other things not related to the activity.

For sedentary populations, who already have very low VO_2max values (ability to consume and utilize oxygen), the threshold may occur as low as 20-30% of VO_2max.  If these individuals are exercising based on current ACSM guidelines of 60% of maximum heart rate, then they are undoubtedly exercising at a pace above their individual threshold, thus facilitating a negative emotional response, and increasing their likelihood of becoming an exercise dropout statistic.

3.  There are many health benefits to low-level exercise

A multitude of health benefits are realized via exercise levels below the threshold level discussed above. Your muscles become more responsive to blood glucose levels, blood triglyceride levels decrease, arteries become more resilient, and decreases in resting blood pressure are usually observed.  All of this leads to decreased risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.  Additionally, mobility and flexibility typically increase, making activities of daily living easier to perform, thus improving overall quality of life.

The law of diminishing returns eventually applies, but your primary goal as a new exerciser is to facilitate an active lifestyle and create an athletic identity, which will lead to greater gains in health and fitness as your journey progresses.

4.  Build Metabolic Efficiency and Base Fitness

If you’re one who isn’t only exercising for health benefits, and may be interested in participating in endurance events, such as charity bike rides or triathlons, spending time in this low-level zone will build a base of fitness that will serve you well in the months and years ahead.  One of the greatest physiological adaptations to exercise at an aerobic level is increased capillary density; up to 50% more blood flow to working muscle.  This adaptation allows you to bring more oxygen to working muscle, and remove more metabolic byproducts and buffer lactate levels, leading to lower perceived exertion at any given absolute intensity.  Additional adaptations include increases in enzymes involved in aerobic metabolism, again making exercise easier, and therefore more pleasurable.

5.  Create an Athletic Identity

Note that this article is geared toward those new to physical activity.  Beginning an exercise program is a major journey that can involve not just physical discomfort, but also emotional and psychological challenges.  When you push through these initial challenges, and you’ll soon realize many benefits to your physical and mental well-being, making you a role model for positive lifestyle change to those around you.  As long as exercise remains an item on your “to do” list, which you can’t wait to check off, you should consider yourself a new exerciser.  When this activity becomes something that you do, not because you have to, or because your doctor tells you to, but because it is part of who you are, then you have adopted an athletic identity.  When you reach this stage, you will have the tools to push through the negative emotions associated with higher intensity efforts.  At that point, it may be time to transition from “exercising” to “training”.

Bottom Line

In order to embrace physical activity as a lifestyle, you have to enjoy what you’re doing.  Adherence statistics may be so low because people begin an exercise program thinking they have to “go hard, or go home” from day one.  Take your time, find an activity you enjoy, and do it at a pace you enjoy.  When the time comes to take it to the next level, you will know.

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Tammy Metzger, M.Ed. is a multisport coach, and owner of Tempo Multisport LLC in Austin, TX.  She holds a Masters of Education in Sport & Exercise Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, with additional concentration in Sports Science & Nutrition.  Tempo Multisport offers endurance sports coaching to athletes across the nation. For more information, contact tammy@trainwithtempo.com

Tags: exercise, exercise plan, exercise program, physical activity, training plan, triathlon

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