Low intensity exercise may reduce fatigue

Washington, Feb 29 : A regular low intensity exercise can effectively reduce fatigue and increase energy levels among sedentary individuals, says a new study.

Previous studies have shown exercise can significantly improve energy levels and decrease fatigue but primarily looked at patients with cancer, heart disease and mental health problem.

The new study from University of Georgia focussed on the individuals who experienced persistent fatigue.

"Too often we believe that a quick workout will leave us worn out - especially when we are already feeling fatigued," said researcher Tim Puetz, lead author of the study.

"However, we have shown that regular exercise can actually go a long way in increasing feelings of energy - particularly in sedentary individuals," he added.

The study involved 36 participants who did not exercise regularly and had reported persistent fatigue based on a commonly used health survey and were divided into three groups.

The first group was asked to do 20 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise three times a week for six weeks, while the second was asked to do low-intensity aerobic exercise for the same time period the third was the controlled group that did not exercise.

The findings revealed that the low- and moderate-intensity groups experienced a 20 percent increase in energy levels over the control group.

Moreover, the low-intensity group showed, 65 percent reduction in fatigue levels compared to 49 percent in moderate-intensity group.

"It could be that moderate-intensity exercise is too much for people who are already fatigued and that might contribute to them not getting as great an improvement as they would had they done the low-intensity exercise," said Professor Patrick O'Connor, co author and co-director of the UGA Exercise Psychology Laboratory.

Puetz said that the findings suggest that exercise acts directly on the central nervous system to increase energy and reduce fatigue.

The study appears in the February issue of the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.

ANI