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Feeling Fatigued? Try Exercise!

By Karen Asp

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You’re exhausted. Not only have the shorter days and lack of sunshine sapped your energy, you're also wiped out from Thanksgiving, and you’re using your last reserves gearing up for the big holidays ahead. The last thing you want to do is exercise. Yet here's the irony: A new study confirms that just a little bit of physical activity -- even a brief stroll -- will combat fatigue and give you an instant rush of energy that will last for hours. 

More Exercise, Less Fatigue
Researchers from the University of Georgia recently took 36 fatigued non-exercisers and assigned them to one of three groups. For six weeks, one group did 20 minutes of moderately intense exercise on an exercise bike three times a week, the second group did similar workouts but at a more leisurely pace, while the third group did no exercise. 

As researchers suspected, the two exercising groups experienced a boost in energy -- about 20 percent -- over the non-exercising group. Yet surprisingly, the low-intensity exercisers got the most benefits, decreasing fatigue by 65 percent. "This surprised us because many of the health outcomes of exercise depend on intensity, and higher intensities usually produce greater results," says Patrick O'Connor, Ph.D., who co-authored the study. Yet here, lower-intensity exercise -- which is activity that allows you to talk easily while doing it -- reigned supreme over exercise of other intensities. Translation for all you sleepyheads: "You don't have to exercise at a high, uncomfortable intensity to get these [energy-boosting] benefits," says O'Connor.

What’s more, you don’t need to exercise for that long either. While O'Connor's study involved 20-minute exercise bouts, other studies have found similar effects with only five or ten minutes of low-intensity exercise, says Robert E. Thayer, Ph.D., professor of psychology at California State University, in Long Beach, Calif., and author of  Calm Energy  (Oxford).

How does exercise boost energy? When you work out, your body releases a neurotransmitter called dopamine, explains O’Connor, and dopamine has been linked to energy. Yet the sad truth is that most Americans aren't regular exercisers, which may explain why at least 25 percent of the U.S. population reports persistent fatigue. 

Best Energy Boosters
The next time you’re so tired that all you can think about is collapsing on the sofa or crawling into bed, try moving your body instead. While you can work out at a low intensity with almost any activity, some are better-suited to a leisurely pace than others. Consider the following:

• Walking
• Bicycling
• Swimming
• Stretching
• Yoga
• Pilates
• Tai Chi

Not inspired? Take your favorite high-intensity activity and take it down a notch or two:

• Downgrade your daily run to a slow jog
• Instead of one-on-one basketball, shoot some hoops from the free-throw line
• Play doubles tennis rather than singles
• Switch to a shorter bench in your step aerobics class and take out all jumping moves

It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you move your body. An added bonus: In another study, Thayer found that not only does exercise boost energy, but it makes you happier and gives you higher self-esteem as well. So,don’t let holiday madness or winter doldrums exhaust you. Get out and shake your booty! You’ll feel better -- we promise!

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