Soft Exercises That Count

From the Johns Hopkins Health Alert
Posted in Nutrition and Weight Control on March 5, 2008

Exercise doesn't have to be a chore to offer health advantages. The latest studies suggest that "soft” exercises, such as yoga, dog walking, and gardening, can help you manage your weight.

Most of these soft exercise activities are not extra-large calorie burners. But they do get you up and moving and away from the TV and fridge. Here are few exercises you might try to lose weight and enjoy yourself.

Yoga -- Yoga is a great way to relax and reduce stress, and new research shows that it may also help control weight. In a recent study of more than 15,000 middle-aged people, those who did yoga for at least half an hour a week for four or more years were better able to fight off weight gain.

Although a vigorous yoga session can burn up to 250 calories, the energy expenditures related to yoga itself were probably not responsible for the lack of weight gain seen in the study. Rather, it's more likely that taking up yoga makes you more mindful of what you’re eating and of your body and health in general. In addition, yoga can improve breathing, strength, and flexibility, making you more apt to perform other types of physical activity and lose weight.

Walking the Dog -- Dogs are more than delightful companions -- they can help with weight control. In a 2005 study, researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia found that disabled people who started off walking a dog for 10 minutes three times a week, and worked up to 20 minutes five times a week, lost an average of 14 lbs over the course of a year -- without purposefully changing their diets. Most weight-loss programs can’t boast of those kinds of results.

Another study, conducted at Northwestern University , found that people who went on a weight-loss and fitness plan together with their dog lost 11 lbs over the course of a year. Diet and exercise with your dog? That’s right. Like humans, many dogs are overweight, so involving your pooch in your weight-loss efforts can be beneficial for both you and your dog.

Other Soft Exercises -- Light gardening and yard work can be surprisingly taxing: Performed at a moderate pace, a 154-lb person can burn 330 calories per hour digging up weeds and raking. A similar case can be made for dancing and golfing (when you walk and carry your clubs). Biking at a moderate pace (less than 10 miles per hour) can burn 290 calories an hour, while walking at 3.5 miles per hour can burn 280 calories an hour. Swimming slow freestyle laps can burn a whopping 510 calories per hour.

If you’re exercise averse, look for activities that you enjoy or that allow you to socialize, such as doubles tennis or fly fishing with a friend. Consider joining a walking club or taking a class (gentle yoga or tai chi, perhaps). In short, look for the fun in moving more as you strive to make activity a part of your everyday life.