The truth is that most people are not runners – and many engage in no form of exercise at all. The Huffington Post has an article about a recent study showing just how bad things have gotten.

For the study, scientists tracked the activity of 2,600 people for two years. They found that obese women average a mere 11 seconds a day of vigorous exercise (that’s about an hour a year), while men and women of normal weight exercised vigorously — engaging in fat-burning activities such as jogging or jumping rope — for fewer than two minutes daily, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The eleven seconds of exercise per day is appalling, but even more striking is the two minutes of daily exercise for people of “normal weight.” The article details the health costs resulting from the lack of exercise, which reach into the hundreds of billions each year.

Everyone would like a solution to getting more people to exercise, but imparting motivation to others is not easy. One option is to gently encourage people to go for an easy run with you or participate in slow paced fun runs with them.

Your reaching out could be the spark they need to begin a life of exercise and health.

[Huffington Post]

The post The costly obesity and exercise crises in the U.S. appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

According to an article in the Boston Globe, the key may lie in a small molecule abbreviated BAIBA.

The researchers are still far from creating exercise in a capsule, but the early work published Tuesday in the journal Cell Metabolism has produced an intriguing clue. The small molecule, generated by muscles during exercise, helps convert normal energy-storing white fat to become energy-burning brown fat and increased blood sugar control in mice.

By generating this molecule, the body is able break down fat and gain better blood sugar control – two of the principal benefits of exercise.

I think this research is pretty cool because it offers proof that exercise not only helps you feel better mentally – it also causes physical changes in your body that promote better heath.

[Boston Globe]

The post Why is exercise good for the body? The answer may lie in a tiny molecule. appeared first on The Runner's Resource.