What Is Light Exercise?

It's obvious what activities are intense, but it can be more difficult to recognize when exercise is light. If you've been advised to stick to light exercise, it's essential to know exactly what it is and what activities can be included in a light workout. If your doctor suggested a light exercise regimen, ask him if there is anything you should avoid doing, especially if you're recuperating from an injury.

  1. Talk Test

    • How much effort you put into an activity will determine whether it's light exercise or not. Light exercise is easy and usually won't cause you to sweat. Your heart rate and breathing can help determine if an exercise is light for you. In their 2011 book "Exercise and Disease Management" Brian C. Leutholtz and Ignacio Ripoll wrote that the "talk test" is a reliable indication as to the level of intensity. If you are performing an exercise with such little effort that your heart rate is fairly low and you can easily carry on a conversation, you are engaging in light exercise.

    Light Exercise Examples

    • Many daily activities could be considered light exercise. Walking is a form of light exercise most people take part in every day, whether taking a stroll in the park, grocery shopping or walking from one end of the house to the other while doing housework. Playing with the kids can also be considered light exercise. Riding a bike at a slow enough pace is light exercise, and you can even lift light weights or use resistance bands for a light strength training workout.

    Effectiveness

    • You don't have to be gasping for breath and sweating a river by the time you're done for your light workout to be effective. ShapeFit.com lists the number of calories burned in an hour for various activities including light exercise. For instance, light bicycling can burn 354 calories; light rowing can burn 738 calories; and swimming laps at a light pace can burn 236 calories. These numbers are for a person weighing 130 pounds, but the number of calories you'll burn depends on how much you weigh; if you weigh less you will burn fewer calories and if you weigh more you can expect an increased calorie burn.

    Benefits

    • Light exercise is useful for keeping you active while healing from an illness or injury. It's the safest way to start a workout regimen, too, especially if you're older or have never worked out before. It helps condition your cardio-respiratory system, builds up muscle strength slowly and improves your flexibility. Light exercise is even beneficial to cancer patients. Dr. Len Kravitz's article "The 25 Most Significant Health Benefits of Physical Activity" for IDEA Health and Fitness Association says that walking 15 to 30 minutes 3 to 5 days a week and engaging in light resistance exercise 2 or 3 times a week help cancer patients reduce the fatigue that comes with the disease and its treatment.