Best Cure for Fatique is Light Exercise

Geezer loves naps as much as the next lazy person, but even he has found the best way to beat the blahs is often a quick bike ride. Now comes the Tufts Health and Nutrition Letter, reporting  that researchers at the
University of Georgia have shown that regular,
low-intensity workouts—such as a
leisurely stroll—can boost
energy levels by 20 percent, and a light
workout can delete feelings of fatigue by 65 percent.
The same journal directs our attention to a study by researchers at the
Pennington Biomedical Research
Center in Louisiana, which concluded that as little as
10 minutes of exercise a day improved
not only metabolism and aerobic
capacity, but also significantly
enhanced the subjects’ quality of
life. That study involved 464 sedentary,
overweight postmenopausal women
who were assigned to four exercise categories—
no exercise at all or 70, 135
and 190 minutes of exercise per
week—and who were supervised during
their workouts on treadmills and
stationary bikes. All the exercise groups lost modest
amounts of weight, between three and
four pounds. But that was only part of
the benefit from getting going. Using the Medical Outcomes Short
Form-36 questionnaire—which assesses
eight areas of mental and physical function
on a 100-point scale—the Penning -
ton researchers found that the subjects’
scores on mental outlook, sociability
and vitality rose significantly over
six months.
Read more in the Tufts Health and Nutrition Letter.