Benefits of Short Exercise for Migraine Headaches and Health in General

Exercise for migraine people can be a hustle. It even can be a migraine trigger for some.

On top of that, exercise does not reduce the frequency of migraine attacks or their duration, as yours truly reported in Exercise Does Not Help Migraine.

But what exactly do we mean when we say "exercise"? Dr. Briffa points out that it can come in many forms, from weight lifting and marathon running to a short walks.

Interestingly enough, short, moderate exercise has just about the same effect on a person's health as any long, gym-going, sweat-dripping activity most health-enthusiasts are so found of.

This comes from a study by Miyashita M, et al, published in this month’s edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The study tested the effects of walking on individuals’ responses to a meal consisting of bread, cheese, mayonnaise, potato crisps and milkshake. The individuals in this study were each tested with 3 different regimes:

1. A day of rest, followed the next day by assessment after two test meals (this regime acted as the ‘control’)

2. One 30-minute bout of brisk walking on one day, followed the next day by assessment after the test meal

3. Ten, 3-minute bouts of brisk walking on one day, followed the next day by assessment after the test meal

One assessment that the individuals underwent was measurement of blood fat levels known as triglycerides (TG) after the meals. Higher TG levels are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Walking was associated with a significantly reduced TG level after eating the following day compared to the control regime. Also, both walking regimes were found to be equally beneficial with respect to this.

Walking was also found to reduce systolic blood pressure (the higher of the two blood pressure values). Again, the two walking regimes were equally effective here, giving a reduction of about 7-8 points (mmHg).

In the discussion of this paper, the authors write: “Our findings…provide evidence that health benefits arise after the accumulation of moderate intensity physical activity in short bouts, at least for postprandial triacylglycerol concentration and resting blood pressure. Such changes suggest (but do not prove) that CVD [cardiovascular disease] risk may be reduced in persons whose physical activity patterns are characterized by the accumulation of short bouts of physical activity throughout the course of each day. Such an activity pattern may be attractive for persons who want to improve their health through the accumulation of routine physical chores or pastimes because these activities are intermittent in nature and often involve bouts lasting <10 min.” The bottom line is - no need to push yourself if you can't. Take a stroll, move around a bit, take your dog for a walk. It's almost just as good as a gym membership.


link: Short bouts of activity found to bring similar benefits to more extended periods of exercise