The news that physical fitness greatly reduces the risk of high blood pressure should surprise nobody at this point, but what I do appreciate about THIS ARTICLE is that they point out that simple physical activity isn’t enough, you need actual physical fitness.
They go on to mention that physical activity is a behavior and fitness is a measurable level of your body’s ability to perform. They also connect the two by pointing out that behavior is the biggest predictor of fitness levels. But here’s where they say something important:
The level of intensity of the activity must be high enough to actually IMPROVE your fitness levels to see any benefit from the activity.
So, what does that mean? Well, for starters, it means that those people who go into your average Globo Gym and get on a treadmill at a moderate walking pace for 45 minutes are wasting their time. It’s true that they are definitely better off than the people sitting at home watching TV and munching on fatty snacks, but once their body has adjusted to the workload of that 45 minute walk, they better up the difficulty level, or they will see no further added benefit.
Always remember these two words: Overload Principle. If you don’t give your body a bigger challenge than it’s used to, it will have no reason to improve. You have to overload it to force it to adapt. So, maybe a newbie to the gym is absolutely destroyed by 45 minutes of walking. Great, that’s a start. BUT within a couple weeks, he better take the pace faster, or up the incline, or put dumbbells in his hands or something! Anything!
Always be moving forward, or you’re just standing still.
