Getting fit in high-intensity baby steps benefits teens
Just two minutes of high-intensity exercise four times a day could improve teenagers’ health and fitness outlook, according to a new study that suggests the same amount of moderate-intensity exercise might not make much difference.
“Children and adolescents tend to perform brief bouts of exercise,” says Dr. Alan Barker of the University of Exeter in the UK. “This study shows that the intensity of this pattern of exercise is important, with high-intensity providing superior health benefits than moderate-intensity exercise.”
Dividing exercise into several abbreviated bursts over the course of a day – mimicking the activity rhythms of young children – is not a new concept in child and adolescent fitness.
Testing this format, the study concluded that high-intensity exercise is the only effective tool when it comes to improving blood sugar levels, fat metabolism and blood pressure for teens after they eat a fattening meal.
The results have implications for cardiovascular disease, the process of which starts during adolescence.
In the study, the research team monitored blood sugar, blood pressure and fat metabolism at eight-hour intervals of 19 teens who were allowed to eat fattening fare for breakfast and lunch.
The teens completed three 24-hour trials in a randomized order, in which they either rested or cycled at different intensities in sessions that were separated by two hours.
When cycling, participants either performed high intensity interval training (HIIT) exercise or moderate-intensity exercise which was matched to the HIIT exercises in terms of the effort it took.
Data analysis of the blood monitoring showed the teens’ blood pressure and glucose levels were lower and their resting fat metabolism had quickened after performing the HIIT exercises when compared with the other two groups.
Curiously, resting and performing moderate-intensity cycling made no difference in blood pressure, glucose or resting fat metabolism, according to the study.
The study was published in the journal Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental.
A team from the University of Exeter that also included Dr. Barker concluded in March that just one short burst of high-intensity exercise before a fatty meal could improve teens’ vascular health.
– AFP Relaxnews
Category: Features, Wellness and Complementary Therapies
