Recent Findings: Walking Is Good. But Moderate-Vigorous Exercise Boosts Fitness Three Times More

More than 2,000 FHS Participants’ data have contributed to largest study to date aimed at understanding the relationship between regular physical activity and a person’s physical fitness.

Matthew Nayor, MD and his research team at Boston University School of Medicine found that bouts of moderate to vigorous exercise—working out with more intensity than, say, walking 10,000 steps over the course of a day—drastically improved a person’s fitness, compared to milder forms of exercise.

Their findings were published in the European Heart Journal in August 2021 and The Brink publication spoke with Dr. Nayor to learn more.

The Brink: People might see a study that finds that moderate to vigorous activity is the best way to improve fitness, and think, isn’t that obvious? But your research is more specific than that, so can you tell us what was surprising or perhaps revealing about your work?

Matthew Nayor: While there is a wealth of evidence supporting the health benefits of both physical activity and higher levels of fitness, the actual links between the two are less well understood, especially in the general population (as opposed to athletes or individuals with specific medical problems). Our study was designed to address this gap, but we were also interested in answering several specific questions. 

Read the full interview here: Walking Is Good. But Moderate-Vigorous Exercise Boosts Fitness Three Times More

FULL TEXT of this article is NOW AVAILABLE: Nayor, M., Chernofsky, A., Spartano, N. L., Tanguay, M., Blodgett, J. B., Murthy, V. L., … & Lewis, G. D. (2021). Physical activity and fitness in the community: the Framingham Heart Study. European Heart Journal.