My RSS feed from the Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog alerted me to news from ScienceDaily about overwhelming evidence that regular exercise increases energy levels. Professor Patrick O’Connor, co-director of the University of Georgia laboratory that analyzed 70 randomized trials on 6,807 subjects, said:
When people are fatigued the last thing they want to do is exercise.
However, the positive effect of exercise on energy was very consistent — seen in over 90 percent of the trials studied by the UGA researchers.
I feel sure this is true to some extent. I certainly feel charged up after doing a half-hour cardio-workout on my Endurance E4 elliptical. This machine features nothing very fancy for display. It only provides exercise — pure and simple at low impact.
For less anecdotal support for the hypothesis that exercise reduces fatigue, see this report from the University of Oslo. If you feel otherwise — drained by exercise, consider stocking up on a supply of jelly beans. Possibly these ‘sports beans’ ward off fatigue. I advise some skepticism if the findings prove positive, because according to ScienceDaily the study is funded in part by The Jelly Belly Candy Company. See their tasty-looking product at ZombieRunner.