We’re early enough in the year that most of us haven’t given up entirely on their New Year’s Resolutions (that happens in another couple of weeks when February hits), and people are still eating relatively healthy food or making half-assed trips to the gym. If you’re worried about getting in the time for cardio, then I have the best news you’ll hear all day. Going to the movies now counts as exercise.
The people to thank for this are the University College in London, who did the science for us. What they did was get 51 people to watch the live action remake of Aladdin, while a second group was asked to read a book for the same amount of time for comparison.
Everyone involved was hooked up to sensors keeping track of their heart rates and body temperature. People watching Aladdin spent about 40 minutes on average in the “healthy heart rate” zone, which is enough to be considered “very light stimulation.”
The healthy heart zone is when you’re working at about 50-60% of your maximum heart rate, and is about what you each when you’re just walking normally. Staying in this heart zone won’t get you shredded, but it’s been shown to help decrease body fat, blood pressure, and cholesterol.
I’m not saying that heading to the cinemas is a good substitute for the treadmill, but I‘m also not saying it’s a bad idea. The Australian Government recommends 30 minutes of exercise every day, and with the participants watching Aladdin spending an average of 40 mins in the healthy heart zone, well…
Ok look, I’m not telling you to trade in your running shoes for a discount card at your local cinema, but it’s as good an excuse as any to head down to the movies so why not.
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