Why basics are best when it comes to exercise: Research director

Tim Caulfield with the University of Alberta talks about the science behind finding the right exercise routine for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Exercise is the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle, but which routine is right?

Tim Caulfield, a research director at the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta, joined host Kent Morrison on CTV Your Morning Edmonton Tuesday to break down the basics of exercise and what the science shows.

“If we could have picked one thing that’s kind of magical as a health and wellness strategy, it’s exercise,” Caulfield said definitively on the morning show, adding that any movement helps.

“Recent research on things, like as a way of dealing with depression and anxiety, your mood generally, of course lifespan, sleep, creativity – the list goes on and on and on,” he explained. “I want to emphasize the good news is it really is (just) getting out there and (moving).”

Caulfield says while high intensity exercise like biking and running can be efficient, resistance training is also important, especially as we age. He says recent guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine say “it doesn’t have to be perfect” either.

“Don’t worry about special little moves and all those kinds of things,” he said. “Just work those big body parts” with exercises like squats, bench press, dead lifts and push-pull workouts, adding, “Consistency (is) more important than complexity or perfection.”

According to Caulfield, the only thing about exercise he nitpicks is fitness fads and gimmicks. He says most of the “noise” of trends can be ignored unless you genuinely enjoy it and it makes you want to move.

He just cautions that some research shows complicated equipment or routines can have the opposite of the desired effect.

“If it requires too much thought and planning, you’re less likely to do it,” Caulfield said. “You want to do something that you enjoy.”

He said that people list time constraints as the number one excuse that prevents them from getting a good workout. But he says many people will also spend eight hours a day on their phones, so there are two sides to the same story.

Caulfield’s key message about exercise is to do something you enjoy, and that basics really are the best.

“The best workout is the workout you’re going to do.”

You can follow Caulfield online with his handle @caulfieldtim.

With files from CTV Edmonton’s Kent Morrison