Vigorous workout, beneficial

A major study from the University of Flinders proves that 50 hours of walking and 1 hour of highly intense workout have equal fitness benefits. It is also proven that 1 hour of highly intense training and 2 hours of moderate workout have the same fat loss benefits. The study was led by Dr Lynda Norton, health sciences lecturer at Flinders University, in collaboration with a team of researchers from the University of South Australia. The team of researchers analyzed the benefits of vigorous workout on four common disease risk factors: waist and hip girth, cholesterol and body weight and fat. There were 620 participants in the study which lasted for 6 weeks consisting of exercise programs and were divided into two groups: the first group was asked to do 1 hour highly intense training three times a week, while the other group needed to perform 30 minutes of moderate exercises, like walking every day. “Most physical activity guidelines recommend a 30 minute daily walk but we found that it would take 50 hours of walking to achieve the same aerobic fitness that you could get from just one hour of high-intensity or vigorous activity”, said Dr Norton, based in Social Health Sciences.