How to start exercising — even if you're totally out of shape

There's a myth that fitness is only for fit people — when everyone can benefit from exercise. Writing for The Conversation, Curtin University physiotherapy and exercise science lecturer Andrew Lavender explains how to get started.

Perhaps your GP has recommended you exercise more, or you've had a recent health scare. Maybe your family's been nagging you to get off the couch or you've decided yourself that it's time to lose some weight.

How do you find the motivation, time and resources to get fit, particularly if you haven't exercised in a while? How do you choose the best type of exercise? And do you need a health check before you start?

RELATED: How much physical activity do I need?

Overcoming barriers to exercise

Motivation

Understanding the effect a sedentary lifestyle has on your health often hits home only after a serious event such as hearing bad news from your doctor. For some people, that's often enough motivation to get started.

Surviving a serious illness as a result of an inactive lifestyle, such as a heart attack or stroke, can also be frightening enough to provide a great deal of motivation.

So, if you have not exercised for several years or haven't exercised before, a it's a good idea to get a health check with your GP before starting.

Then you need to keep motivated enough to stick with your exercise program. You can track your training or fitness level and set some achievable goals to keep going.

Lack of time

Finding the time and effort to fit exercise into your daily routine is challenging. We know being "time poor" is a common reason for not exercising. And many people such as office workers, vehicle or machine operators have low activity levels at work and don't feel like exercising after a long day.

One way to get around these barriers might be to attend a group exercise session or join a sports club. If you find exercise boring, you can encourage a friend to join you or join an exercise group to make it enjoyable. If you played sport in your youth, that might provide an option.

Having a friend to exercise with or team mates to support you gives a sense of commitment so that you have to be there and will be challenged if you fail to show up.

Resources

You don't need to join a gym with a lot of fancy equipment to get fit. There are many YouTube videos of safe routines that you can follow and adjust as you get fitter.

This one demonstrates a 15-minute cardio exercise routine that you can do at home.

Many exercises – including squats, push ups and sit ups – don't need special equipment. And rather than improving muscle strength with weights at the gym, you can fill milk bottles with water instead.

Yes, you'll huff and puff. But it gets easier

You might be thinking about starting aerobic exercise like the cardio workout above, or walking, jogging, swimming or cycling. All need oxygen to provide energy over several minutes or longer.

When we perform aerobic exercise, our heart rate increases along with our breathing rate and depth. This is because this type of exercise requires oxygen to provide energy to keep going.

RELATED: Listen to your heart: How knowing your heart rate can max your results

When we are not used to this type of exercise our body is inefficient at using the oxygen we breathe to generate energy for our skeletal muscles. That's why when we start an exercise program we huff and puff more, get tired quickly and may not finish the exercise.

But if we keep exercising regularly, our bodies become more efficient at using oxygen and we become better at generating enough energy for our muscles to work.

Over weeks of regular exercise, the number and efficiency of our body's mini-powerhouses — mitochondria — increase in each cell. This increases the energy they can supply to the muscles, exercising becomes easier and we recover faster from each session.

That's why it's important to continue and repeat exercise sessions, even after a shaky start or a few setbacks. Yes, it can be a big challenge, but aerobic exercise gets easier over time as the body gets used to providing the energy it needs.

Thinking of yoga or simple stretches? Here's what to expect

Yoga is a great way to start an exercise program and you can perform it at various levels of intensity. Stretching and other moves improve flexibility and strength. Yoga also emphasises breathing and relaxation through meditation.

Yoga, like other forms of exercise, will be challenging to begin with. But it does get easier over the weeks as your body adapts. So, it is important to be persistent and make the exercise part of your routine with at least three sessions of up to one hour every week.

RELATED: Yes, you can get injured doing yoga — here's how to avoid it

At the start, you may get sore muscles. While this can be uncomfortable, the soreness goes away after about a week. You can reduce this soreness by starting with low intensity and building gradually over the first month.

Once your muscles become used to the new movements, the soreness will be minimal as you progress.

RELATED: DOMS: It's why a hard workout hurts so much the next day (and the day after)

Watch your joints

We know being overweight or obese has detrimental effects on the heart, bones, joints and other organs including the pancreas, which regulates blood glucose (sugar) levels. Obesity can also affect brain health and is linked to poor cognition.

The good news is that regular exercise can help reduce these negative effects.

But if you are overweight or obese, taking up exercise can place great strain on your joints, particularly the articulating surface, the cartilage surface of bones that contact each other. So hips, knees and ankles can become inflamed and painful.

So it may be best to include exercise that reduces weight bearing, such as exercise in water or using a stationary exercise bike or rowing machine. Once you've lost some weight and your cardiovascular function has improved, then you can add more walking or jogging to your exercise program.

The right diet helps power you along

A healthy diet you can maintain in the long term is a very important part of any fitness routine. Not only can it help you lose weight, it can also provide the right type of fuel to power your new exercise program.

RELATED: How to decide the best diet for weight loss (and avoid bad ones)

Getting plenty of fibre from fruit, vegetables and whole grains will help to reduce weight and keep it off while exercising.

Sugar, especially the type found in fizzy drinks and sweets, are low in nutrients and increase the risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. So cut down on refined carbohydrates like some breads and rice, sugary cereals and refined pasta since these include sugars we are trying to avoid and have had their fibre removed. Replace them with oats, carrots or potatoes.

It's best to avoid fad diets, which tend to be restrictive and difficult to maintain. They can lead to a yo-yo effect where you lose weight only for it to return.

RELATED: What to eat right before and right after you exercise

Once you've decided to start exercising, and had a medical check if needed, start slowly and build your exercise routine up over weeks and months. Make it interesting and enjoyable, perhaps by working out with a friend or group. Set some achievable goals, try to stick to them and don't give up if you have a set back.

Weight loss and getting fit requires different approaches for different people so find what works for you and make it part of your lifestyle. Increase the intensity and frequency of your exercise gradually from a minimal three times a week for 20 minutes to longer, more intense sessions more often.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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I Work 3 Jobs Every Week — Here's How I Make Time to Exercise

I'm no stranger to working hard, but that doesn't mean I'll ever let my long days keep me from working out. Exercise doesn't sap my energy — quite the opposite. It provides me with the pep I need to go from my part-time office job to my part-time side hustle to my freelance work without losing my spark. Yes, squeezing in a workout when working three jobs presents a challenge, but one I'm well up to. Here's how I make time for a sweat.

I Break Up My Workouts Into Sessions

When I spend a long day at the office followed by a few hours tending bar, the last thing I want to do when I finish is hit the gym for an hour-long spin class. I'm dedicated to health and fitness; I am not, however, Wonder Woman. Instead, when my day stretches for 12 hours or more, I break up my workouts into several shorter bursts.

Six 10-minute workouts can work as effectively as one hour-long session, if you allow yourself to really get into them for those short bursts. I begin each day with 10 minutes of yoga to clear brain fog and get my muscles ready for the day. Then, since I generally nibble at my desk all day, I use my 30-minute lunch break to get in a short run or do Tabata. During shorter breaks, I take a walk around the building (weather permitting) or climb a few floors of stairs. When tending bar, I keep moving enough, but still manage to fit in stretches when I get a breather, which you can easily work into your own routine.

I Pencil In My Workouts

Success at fitness requires planning. I make sure to keep an eye on which days I have off and schedule my exercise goals for the week just as I plan time to work on my deadlines. It works a bit like — and often in tune with — my weekly meal prep. I get everything into containers, but leave myself leeway to select which healthy precooked meals I'll eat daily. In the same fashion, I break my weekly workout goals into 10- to 30-minute intervals and insert anything from yoga to at-home HIIT workouts, then pick and choose which exercises to do each day based on which jobs I'm working which days and what my resulting energy levels will probably look like on those days. I usually plan two to three hours of cardio weekly and split the remaining time between strength and flexibility training.

I Get Creative — and Silly

Since I've always loved fitness, I get creative and work my muscles even when my concentration lies elsewhere. My office chair is an exercise ball, so even when I'm typing, my core gets a mini-workout. When on the phone, I get up and pace. Due to my hectic schedule, biking to work isn't always practicable, but I pedal to the farmer's market or convenience store whenever possible.

I'm also not afraid to make a bit of a show of myself. Yes, I enjoy seeing whether or not I can still make it across the monkey bars, so when I pass a playground, I'll often just do it! When I'm stuck in line waiting behind someone making their monthly Costco run, I will do squats, calf raises, or stretches in line. As far as dancing like no one is watching, let's just say I seldom refrain from busting into a few Zumba moves when someone plays a Pitbull jam.

I Make Sure a Balanced Diet Is Part of My Routine

It is so important to eat a balanced and sufficient diet. I could drive the best Ferrari (I wish), but it still wouldn't go anywhere if I tried to start it on an empty gas tank — the same goes for my body. To power myself through busy days, I chow down on healthy foods that keep my blood sugar stable.

I Prioritize Sleep

Sleep plays such an integral part in overall health. I'm human and have occasional sleepless nights just like everyone, but I do everything I can to make getting at least seven hours possible.

Try kicking your afternoon caffeine habit if you have one. Caffeine consumption too close to bedtime can cost you sleep. I get jitters after a single cup of coffee, so I err on the side of caution. I also take a few minutes to stretch and wind down before bed while sipping on chamomile, and I don't allow any electronics in my bedroom other than my Kindle. I've also been practicing meditation before bed to get better at relaxing my racing thoughts.

I often hear people with far more free time than I'll probably allow myself to have until retirement age complain that they can't find time to exercise. And everyone's different — some people really don't like being busy and must adjust accordingly, and that's fine. But if you find yourself having a hectic schedule, know that it is possible to keep up with your exercise routine. For me, staying busy keeps things exciting, and I'm living proof that grinding hard doesn't have to come at the cost of personal fitness or even happiness. Life in the fast lane can truly be a ton of fun when you get creative about how to keep up the pace.

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How to start exercising if you're out of shape: Experts offer their top 6 tips from workouts to diet plans

How to start exercising if you're out of shape: Experts offer their top 6 tips from workouts to diet plans

Regular exercise fights obesity and lowers risks of heart and lung diseases, diabetes and premature death 

A health check-up, workout buddy and starting with simple, short exercise programs can make it easier to get back to being active 

Look out for your joints, and know that at first your exercise will feel difficult - but it does get easier  

By Andrew Lavender For The Conversation

Published: 10:03 EDT, 29 April 2019 | Updated: 20:05 EDT, 29 April 2019

Perhaps your primary care doctor has recommended you exercise more, or you've had a recent health scare. 

Maybe your family's been nagging you to get off the couch or you've decided yourself that it' s time to lose some weight.

How do you find the motivation, time and resources to get fit, particularly if you haven't exercised in a while? 

How do you choose the best type of exercise? And do you need a health check before you start? 

Getting back to working out can be daunting, but an expert explains how finding the right reasons to do it, starting simple and just sticking with it can bet you back on track 

OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO EXERCISE 

MOTIVATION 

Understanding the effect a sedentary lifestyle has on your health often hits home only after a serious event such as hearing bad news from your doctor. For some people, that's often enough motivation to get started.

Surviving a serious illness as a result of an inactive lifestyle, such as a heart atta ck or stroke, can also be frightening enough to provide a great deal of motivation.

So, if you have not exercised for several years or haven't exercised before, a it's a good idea to get a health check with your primary care doctor before starting.

Then you need to keep motivated enough to stick with your exercise program. You can track your training or fitness level and set some achievable goals to keep going. 

LACK OF TIME 

Finding the time and effort to fit exercise into your daily routine is challenging. We know being  'time poor' is a common reason for not exercising. And many people such as office workers, vehicle or machine operators have low activity levels at work and don't feel like exercising after a long day.

One way to get around these barriers might be to attend a group exercise session or join a s ports club. If you find exercise boring, you can encourage a friend to join you or join an exercise group to make it enjoyable. If you played sport in your youth, that might provide an option.

Having a friend to exercise with or team mates to support you gives a sense of commitment so that you have to be there and will be challenged if you fail to show up. 

RESOURCES 

You don't need to join a gym with a lot of fancy equipment to get fit. There are many YouTube videos of safe routines that you can follow and adjust as you get fitter.

This one demonstrates a 15 minute cardio exercise routine that you can do at home. 

VIDEO

Many exercises – including squats, push ups and sit ups – don't need special equipment. And rather than improving muscle strength with weights at the gym, you can fill milk bottles with water instead.

YES, YOU'LL HUFF AND PUFF. BUT IT GETS EASIER    

You might be thinking about starting aerobic exercise like the cardio workout above, or walking, jogging, swimming or cycling. All need oxygen to provide energy over several minutes or longer.

When we perform aerobic exercise, our heart rate increases along with our breathing rate and depth. This is because this type of exercise requires oxygen to provide energy to keep going.

When we are not used to this type of exercise our body is inefficient at using the oxygen we breathe to generate energy for our skeletal muscles. That's why when we start an exercise program we huff and puff more, get tired quickly and may not finish the exercise.

But if we keep exercising regularly, our bodies become more efficient at using oxygen and we become better at generating enough energy for our muscles to work.

Over weeks of regular exercise, the number and efficiency of our body's mini-powerhouses – mitochondria – increase in each cell. This increases the energy they can supply to the muscles, exercising becomes easier and we recover faster from each session.

That's why it's important to continue and repeat exercise sessions, even after a shaky start or a few set-backs. Yes, it can be a big challenge, but aerobic exercise gets easier over time as the body gets used to providing the energy it needs.

THINKING OF YOGA OR SIMPLE STRETCHES? HERE'S WHAT TO EXPECT 

Yoga is a great way to start an exercise program and you can perform it at various levels of intensity. Stretching and other moves improve flexibility and strength. Yoga also emphasizes breathing and relaxation through medit ation.

Yoga, like other forms of exercise, will be challenging to begin with. But it does get easier over the weeks as your body adapts. So, it is important to be persistent and make the exercise part of your routine with at least three sessions of up to one hour every week.

At the start, you may get sore muscles. While this can be uncomfortable, the soreness goes away after about a week. You can reduce this soreness by starting with low intensity and building gradually over the first month.

Once your muscles become used to the new movements, the soreness will be minimal as you progress.

WATCH YOUR JOINTS  

We know being overweight or obese has detrimental effects on the heart, bones, joints and other organs including the pancreas, which regulates blood glucose (sugar) levels. Obesity can also affect brain health and i s linked to poor cognition.

The good news is that regular exercise can help reduce these negative effects. 

But if you are overweight or obese, taking up exercise can place great strain on your joints, particularly the articulating surface, the cartilage surface of bones that contact each other. So hips, knees and ankles can become inflamed and painful.

So it may be best to include exercise that reduces weight bearing, such as exercise in water or using a stationary exercise bike or rowing machine. Once you've lost some weight and your cardiovascular function has improved, then you can add more walking or jogging to your exercise program.

THE RIGHT DIET HELPS POWER YOU ALONG  

A healthy diet you can maintain in the long term is a very important part of any fitness routine. Not only can it help you lose weight, it ca n also provide the right type of fuel to power your new exercise program. 

Getting plenty of fiber from fruit, vegetables and whole grains will help to reduce weight and keep it off while exercising.

Sugar, especially the type found in fizzy drinks and sweets, are low in nutrients and increase the risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. So cut down on refined carbohydrates like some breads and rice, sugary cereals and refined pasta since these include sugars we are trying to avoid and have had their fiber removed. Replace them with oats, carrots or potatoes.

It's best to avoid fad diets, which tend to be restrictive and difficult to maintain. They can lead to a yo-yo effect where you lose weight only for it to return. 

IN A NUTSHELL  

Once you've decided to start exercising, and had a med ical check if needed, start slowly and build your exercise routine up over weeks and months. 

Make it interesting and enjoyable, perhaps by working out with a friend or group. Set some achievable goals, try to stick to them and don't give up if you have a set back.

Weight loss and getting fit requires different approaches for different people so find what works for you and make it part of your lifestyle. 

Increase the intensity and frequency of your exercise gradually from a minimal three times a week for 20 minutes to longer, more intense sessions more often.

Read More

How teens can get a free membership to Planet Fitness starting next month

It's not too late to get in shape for the summer and, if you're between the ages of 15 and 18, Planet Fitness is offering a pretty sweet deal to get you to start working out too.

Beginning May 15 and ending Sept. 1, teens who fall within that age range will be able to work out for free at Planet Fitness gym locations nationwide.

It's called the Teen Summer Challenge and comes at a time when nearly half of American high school-age teens aren't getting in enough strength exercises throughout the week.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 49% of U.S. teens don't spend at least three days per week exercising to strengthen or tone their muscles.

Teens can go to any Planet Fitness to sign up. Parents will have to sign off for anyone under 18. Once signed up, teens can work out alone, but only at the location where they registered.

New Jersey is home to dozens of Planet Fitness gyms. You can find a list of those locations here.

To learn more about the Teen Summer Challenge, click here. The initiative will run until September.

Tennyson Donnie Coleman may be reached at tcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @TennysonTV. Find him on Facebook. Have a tip? Let us know at nj.com/tips.

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Whether you’re 5 or 95, these are the best exercises to keep you fit for life, according to a celebrity fitness trainer

Jump ropes are not just for kids. Samuel said they're some of the best "portable, affordable equipment to take anywhere." Queenie Howard plays double dutch on Blue Hill Avenue during the Circle the City initiative in Boston on September 29, 2013.Jessica Rinaldi for The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Try jumping rope for just 30 seconds and you'll notice it's one of the best ways to get your heart rate soaring in a hurry.

Jumping rope is a low injury-risk activity, and once you've mastered a basic hop, you can start speeding up and getting creative with new moves: jumping on one foot, adding high knee kicks, playing double dutch with friends, or criss-crossing the rope.

Regularly using a jump rope has been shown to improve balance and coordination in kids, help obese teens reduce belly fat, and improve heart health in adults.

Squats are a great way to build strength you'll actually use. Shutterstock

Once you've mastered the basic squat, you can go for a high-intensity jump squat, bending down into an imaginary chair, and then bursting up into the air. Samuel said it's important to master the proper form for your basic squat before you try out the jumping version.

But once you're ready, jump squats are a great toning move that can boost your power.

Trainer and exercise physiologist Tony Maloney at the National Institute for Fitness and Sport previously told Business Insider that when doing squats, "you're also expending the energy that you need to actually lose the body fat that may be surrounding the dormant muscles."

Learning how to squat well is a practical skill we can use every day. "Functional movements that apply to real life are obviously the most important to do," Samuel said. Maurizio Cattelan's "America" installation at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.Kristopher McKay

"When you get up off the toilet and sit down on the toilet, that's a squat," she added.

Another move that will get your heart racing is also very practical: the shoulder press. Vichien Petchmai/Getty Images

Doing shoulder presses at home or the gym will get you ready to lift weighty objects over your head.

For this, hold a couple of weights by your shoulders, with your palms facing forward and your elbows bent 90 degrees. Then straighten and press the weights overhead. Shutterstock

Keep your core engaged the entire time, with a neutral spine and your shoulders down and back.

When it comes to strengthening your core — the spine-stabilizing center of the body that keeps you upright — it's hard to beat the classic plank. Supporters of Ruth Bader Ginsburg perform exercise planks in celebration of the Supreme Court associate justice's 86th birthday, March 15, 2019.Joshua Roberts/Reuters

"If our core muscles weren't there, we'd fall right over," Maloney said.

Samuel is far from the only fan of the plank: Many trainers prefer the move over crunches and sit-ups.

Once you're able to hold a plank, add in some push ups. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

"Push ups are extremely important," Samuel said.

"Being able to push something away from you? That's a self-defense thing," Samuel added. British boxer Anthony Joshua, left, is shoved by Jarrell Miller, right, as they pose for photographs during a news conference on February 19, 2019.Associated Press Mountain climbers are another dynamic move, and unlike burpees, they're difficult to mess up. Shutterstock

To do these, start in a high plank, with your body in a straight line from your head to your toes. Lift one knee up toward your chest using your core strength, then press it back down behind you. Then switch legs. Do these knee lifts as quickly as possible while staying in your plank position, keeping your butt low and in line with the rest of your body, for about 30 seconds. Make sure to keep your shoulders right above your palms while you're "climbing."

Mountain climbers, like burpees, are a near total-body workout, challenging your arms, sculpting your core, and toning your legs, all while getting your heart racing. Samuel likes them because they're more foolproof than burpees.

"Burpees I wouldn't recommend for everyone," Samuel said. "If you're not very used to burpees, maybe stick to mountain climbers for now."

Like squats, lunges are a great way to get your heart pumping, and they also strengthen your legs for every step of the day. Trainer Tom Cochrane looks on as, from left, Joseph Gianni, 10, Tim McNamara, 11, Noah Riedel, 12, and Michael Crowley, 12, do lunges at Team Fitness Franklin in Franklin, Massachusetts.Wendy Maeda/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Once you've mastered the lunge, you can try a jump lunge, alternating sides by switching your legs back and forth in mid-air. This kind of plyometric, explosive movement is great for burning fat and developing quickness.

Samuel recommends incorporating lunges into a short, two-minute, four-move circuit with:

30 seconds of jump rope

30 seconds of as many lunges as you can fit in, alternating legs

30 seconds of mountain climbers

and a 30-second plank

"Repeat that three to four times," Samuel said. "That's great to do at home."

"When you're walking, that's a version of a lunge," Samuel said. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

"You're just taking much smaller steps," she added.

Pull ups aren't just a quick way to get a near full-body workout — the strength you build can come in handy in real life too, Samuel said. A guy crushes a pull up.Wikipedia

If you're still working on building up strength, try holding a single pull-up. With your palms facing toward you, pull your chin up above the bar, and hold the position for as long as you can.

"You know, in case you're on a ledge and you need to get yourself off," she said. AP Photo/Adam Butler

Pull ups are a staple exercise for US Marines, and Major Misty Posey says anyone can learn to do them well.

"When it comes to pull ups, most people know that the key to improving is to simply do pull-ups," Posey writes in a Marine pull-ups training guide. "Therein lays the conundrum. How does a person practice pull ups when one cannot do pull-ups? A solution is to perform vertical raising and lowering exercises on a pull up bar using gravity and one's own body weight."

She said this start-where-you-are technique is how she built up to doing pull ups herself: "To my surprise, after five days of training on the pull up bar, I did my first pull up," Posey said.

If pull ups are a challenge, you can also try other pulling moves like lat pull-downs (as shown below). Shutterstock

Dumbbell rows are another option.

Finally, try a hollow hold. Lie on your back with your arms overhead, hands and toes pointed away from each other. Pull your core toward the floor, keep your lower back on the ground, and raise your shoulder blades and legs a few inches off the ground. Shutterstock

Now you've got a handle on the five most important basic functional movements, according to Samuel: "Pushing movements, pulling movements, lunging, squatting, and core."

Whatever kind of exercise you do, the most important thing is to make it fun, Samuel said: "Do not make working out a chore." Iranian boxer Sadaf Khadem.Reuters

"Make it something you look forward to during the day," she suggests.

That means finding ways to move your body that you actually enjoy — that could be a spin class, weight training, or just "walking up a hill."

Samuel's personal favorite cardio activity is boxing.

"I get to be in the moment," she said. "I'm not really thinking that I'm doing cardio, but I actually am."

Wendy Wood, a professor of psychology and business at the University of Southern California who studies habit formation, agrees with Samuel's advice. Robert Benson / Stringer / Getty Images

"You can try to make yourself do something that you really don't like, but if you hate going to the gym, you're not going to go," Wood told Business Insider.

She recommends making your workouts feel like a reward. When Wood uses the elliptical machine, for example, she lets herself watch competitive cooking shows that are strictly off-limits the rest of the day.

"If you are making yourself do exercises that you find not rewarding, not fun, not enjoyable, you're just not going to do them," Wood said.

One final piece of advice from Samuel: Just get moving, wherever you are. "All you need is your body," she said. People watch a TV show at the Beijing West train station in Beijing, China, January 15, 2018.Thomas Peter/Reuters

"Instead of scrolling through Instagram, I'm telling you, you can make time to figure out a way to move your body," she said.

Samuel even sees airport layovers as an opportunity to bust a move: She can do arm dips using airport benches or squeeze in some "push ups off the side." Samuel recently showed off one of her portable vacation workouts on Instagram— the circuit includes lunges, jumping jacks, squats, and mountain climbers.

"Just find a way to just keep moving your body somehow," she said.

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How to Exercise to Cut Your Age-Related Fitness Decline in Half

The benefits of being aerobically fit and participating in high-intensity cardio in middle age can last for up to 10 years, according to a new study from the journal Frontiers in Physiology.

But low-intensity exercise can also benefit your metabolic health—like blood pressure and insulin levels.

There are tons of reasons why you might love being on your bike: to get from point A to point B, to chase that PR, or simply just to stay in shape. Regardless of your motivation, the physical benefits of cycling—among other forms of exercise—can stay with you for longer than you might expect, according to new research from the journal Frontiers in Physiology.

Researchers followed up with participants of a different study—published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise that ran from 1999 to 2003—10 years after the fact to see what their current health was like.

The 2003 study involved 384 sedentary, overweight people between the ages of 40 and 65 years old who had to either remain sedentary or start exercising regularly for eight months. Those who had to exercise were randomly split into the following three groups: low amount of moderate-intensity exercise, low amount of vigorous-intensity exercise, and high amount of vigorous-intensity exercise. Those who exercised in any capacity saw improvements in their aerobic fitness, blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, and waist circumference.

So, to figure out what the lasting impact on these improvements might be, researchers gathered 104 of the previous study's participants for a new "reunion" study. First, they filled out medical history and physical activity questionnaires. Next, they had their heights, body masses, resting blood pressures, and minimal waist circumferences measured. Finally, they underwent a maximal treadmill exercise test to measure their cardio fitness.

The results? The participants from the 2003 study who either remained sedentary or who did a low amount of moderate-intensity exercise were less aerobically fit. They lost 10 percent of their aerobic capacity in the 10 years that followed—a rate that was twice as high as those who performed vigorous activity in the original study.

People start naturally losing aerobic fitness after around age 28 or so due to a 1 percent decrease in max heart rate per year, says study coauthor William Kraus, M.D., a professor of medicine Duke University's Division of Cardiology. This suggests that vigorous activity could stave off the age-related decline in fitness more than moderate activity, possibly because vigorous activity helps strengthen your heart, improving its ability to pump blood to—and strengthen—your lungs and other parts of your body, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

[Want to fly up hills? Climb! gives you the workouts and mental strategies to conquer your nearest peak.]

But while those who did moderate-intensity activity didn't gain as much cardio benefit, they still experienced metabolic benefits, such as no increase in blood pressure and a decrease in fasting insulin and glucose levels. Lower fasting insulin and glucose levels means you have less of a chance at developing conditions like obesity and diabetes.

And while researchers aren't totally sure why vigorous exercise helps maintain a good level of cardio fitness in the longterm, but low or moderate exercise helps maintain good metabolic health, they are working to understand the connection better.

Bottom line: Your hard rides can help preserve your aerobic fitness for years to come, but don't dismiss the health benefits of lesser-intense exercise. Make time for both in your daily life—say, walk a little more each day, even if you have a workout scheduled for later that day.

"One does not have to do vigorous exercise to have some very substantial health benefits—particularly on blood pressure and glucose control (like diabetes prevention)," Kraus said.

Danielle Zickl Associate Health & Fitness Editor Danielle specializes in interpreting and reporting the latest health research and also writes and edits in-depth service pieces about fitness, training, and nutrition.

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Ready to Start Running Longer? Here's How to Conquer Any Distance and Feel Good Doing It

Whether you're closing in on your first 5K or training for a half- or even full marathon, if you've been bitten by the running bug, chances are you've started to feel the urge to push your mileage. Running longer and farther lets you pursue longer races and set higher and higher goals. Plus, it feels awesome to be able to run distances you've never dreamed of, whether that's two miles or 20.

But even those of us who love running know that pushing toward longer distances is going to come with some discomfort: aching muscles, aching lungs, blisters, chafing, and generally feeling exhausted. Sometimes, there's no way around it; if you're running 15 miles, your body is going to need to rest by the end. But if some of that exhaustion can be remedied — and good news: it can — runners old and new want to know how to do it. POPSUGAR spoke to two running experts to get the full story on how to run longer, minus the fatigue.

Fix Your Running Form

Preventing fatigue ultimately comes down to form, according to Michael Fredericson, MD, professor and director of physical medicine and sports medicine at Stanford. "The more efficient your running gait is, the less energy you're going to need to use, and the less fatigued you're going to get," he told POPSUGAR. Perfecting form sounds complicated, but Fredericson said the main thing is to stay relaxed. Tensing your muscles not only makes them ache but also uses extra energy and intensifies the impact on your body as you run.

If you're having trouble upping your mileage, it's ideal to consult a running coach or doctor and schedule a gait evaluation. You can also analyze your own form, keeping an eye out for a few common mistakes that could be overtaxing you on your runs.

Overstriding: Also called heel striking, people who overstride land too hard on the heels of their feet. "You want to land so that your heels are underneath your knees, not in front of them," Fredericson said. Overstriding is a common problem, and this simple drill can help you identify and correct it.

Bouncing up and down: It's natural to bob up and down while you run, but if you're bouncing too much, you're wasting energy that could be used to propel forward. Focus on pushing your body straight ahead instead.

Crossing your feet: Your feet should be moving in a straight forward line, not diagonally in front of your body. Watch your feet as you run to make sure that they're not crossing in front of you, which Fredericson said is very inefficient.

Running efficiently also means supporting your knees, which you can do by strengthening your hips and feet. Fredericson recommended exercises like clamshells, squats, and single-leg squats to improve hip strength.

To stabilize your foot muscles, stand on one foot (you can try a yoga Tree Pose if it's comfortable) and focus on maintaining the arch in your foot without letting it collapse. "Think of your foot like a tripod, from the heel to the big toe to the little toe," Fredericson said. "You're helping that tripod lift up your arch." Strengthening your calf muscles (particularly the gastrocnemius, the big round muscle in your calf) will also help support proper running form. Fredericson recommended doing strengthening exercises at least every other day.

Breathe Into Your Diaphragm

Another major discomfort when you're increasing your mileage: aching lungs. Again, Fredericson said this comes back to staying relaxed. "When people get tense, they start to breathe from their chest," he explained, which makes you feel short of breath. Instead, focus on breathing from your diaphragm, the muscle just below your ribcage. That in and of itself can help you relax, but it'll also make your breathing slower and more efficient.

Another way to ease your breathing: slow your pace, said exercise physiologist and personal trainer Tom Holland, MS, NSCA-CSCS, ACSM, who's completed over 60 marathons. When you're just starting to push your distance, there's no such thing as running too slowly or taking too many walking breaks. "That's how you gradually build up your running endurance while decreasing the cardiovascular discomfort," he told POPSUGAR.

Focus on setting a slow, comfortable pace at the beginning of the run in particular, Holland said. Starting out even a little too fast can put you into oxygen deficit, cause stomach cramps, and turn the run from relaxing to tense and uncomfortable.

Distract Yourself

You know how running often makes your mind wander? Embrace that, Holland told POPSUGAR. Disassociating during your runs — focusing on anything other than the run itself — can make you feel like you're not working quite as hard. That decrease in perceived effort makes you less tired, certainly, but it also makes your run more enjoyable.

If you have a hard time getting to that free and relaxed state of mind on your own, Holland recommended listening to music or running with a partner or group. Running with others, he added, is a great way to learn more about running, hold yourself accountable, and have more fun on even the hardest runs.

Cross-Train

Trading the sidewalks or the treadmill for the elliptical, exercise bike, or pool might seem counterintuitive when you're trying to increase your mileage, but both of our experts recommended it. Holland told us that cross-training gives you variation, for one thing, which offers a much-needed mental break. It also helps you avoid injuries and eases the daily wear and tear that can make runs even more exhausting.

Pool workouts like swimming laps or aqua jogging can be a huge boon to runners, preventing overtraining injuries like stress fractures. Fredericson has even had patients train for marathons by running almost exclusively in the pool, with just one road run per week. Holland also recommended cycling and the elliptical as complementary cardio for runners.

Patience is key when you're upping your mileage, because pushing too far too fast is a recipe for injury. By maintaining good form and keying into mental tricks and cross-training workouts, it's definitely possible to hit your distance goals without exhausting yourself in the process.

Image Source: Getty / Jordan Siemens

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