Basic Pursuits

I ran across this piece late last week. It reports on a study done in Japan which concludes that exercise burns fat more efficiently when there is a intervening rest period. In this case, 30 mins. of exercise followed by 20 mins. of rest followed by 30 mins. of exercise.

Being a great believer in not pushing too hard, I rejoiced inn the notion that more is accomplished (at least more fat burning) by resting than by just pushing through.

There have been plenty of mornings when I talked myself into exercising by saying, "OK. If you get tired, you can always rest." It's good to have the scientific permission to rest. I'm looking forward to having the "should I work out or shouldn't I work out" conversation with this study backing me up on the benefits of resting.

As we all know, the important thing is to maintain the habit. Figure out a way to do it often. See if treating yourself to a fat-burning break makes starting your workout a little easier.