The ‘zone zero’ fitness trend promotes very low-intensity movement, like walking and housework. [Suvi Suitiala/The New York Times]
When you’re exhausted, burned out or short on time, the notion of slipping on gym clothes and pushing yourself to work out can feel impossible. But a casual stroll or stretching session might not seem out of reach.
A new fitness trend has rebranded these super low-intensity forms of movement as “zone zero” exercise. The term is a nod to heart rate zone training, a framework that divides physical activity into five zones that reflect different levels of aerobic effort.
As the name suggests, zone zero training is meant to be so easy it feels almost effortless, and it generally refers to any activity in which your heart rate stays below half of its maximum capacity. (To estimate your max heart rate, subtract your age from 220.) Think: Taking an ambling walk after dinner, going for an easy bike ride, playing with your kids or doing light housework.
“It’s a new term for an old concept,” which is that any amount of physical activity is good for you, said Dr Julia Iafrate, a sports medicine physician at NYU Langone Health. Many people can benefit from a no-stress approach, she added, especially if they’re used to “no pain, no gain” fitness messaging that suggests the only workout worth doing is one that feels like work.
Here’s how seemingly effortless exercise can improve your fitness, where it comes up short and the best way to incorporate it into your routine.
Less active people may benefit more from zone zero
If you spend most of your time sitting, even adding a modest amount of movement to your day can help to improve key measures of health like circulation, blood pressure and blood sugar, said Dr Eli Friedman, who directs the sports cardiology program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
“The people who go from doing nothing to something get the most bang for the buck,” Friedman said. Over time, he added, moving incrementally more and at gradually higher intensities can improve your balance, muscle strength and endurance, too.
While the term zone zero training doesn’t appear in scientific literature, researchers have studied ultralow intensity exercise in other contexts. Some studies suggest that people who are completely inactive face a significantly higher mortality rate compared with those who move slightly more, said Christopher LaFlam, an exercise physiologist at the Duke Health & Fitness Center.
If zone zero activity is the only movement in your routine, the experts recommended incorporating it as often as possible throughout your day. It can also be a helpful on-ramp to more intense exercise.
Zone zero shouldn’t replace more intense exercise
If you regularly exercise at moderate or vigorous intensities, zone zero training can be a useful complement to your fitness routine – but it’s not a substitute.
Exercise that requires more exertion, whether it’s aerobic or strength-based, will lead to greater health and fitness benefits than zone zero movement, the experts said. “Zone zero is not going to get you ripped. It is not going to help you train harder,” Iafrate said.
But on rest days, it can be a worthwhile form of active rest or recovery, which can help ward off muscle soreness, she said.
Zone zero activities can also be a valuable tool for weekend warriors, or people who go to the gym a few times a week but spend most of their time sedentary, by helping offset the negative effects of prolonged sitting, said Karl Erickson, a performance specialist in the Mayo Clinic’s department of orthopedics and sports medicine.
Don’t overcomplicate it
Giving the activities of everyday life a seemingly formal name and parameters may motivate some people – especially those who have felt intimidated by or excluded from more intense fitness spaces, Friedman said. But the key point is to increase your daily movement in whatever way feels manageable and sustainable.
On some days, this might look like parking farther away from the grocery store or walking up a couple flights of stairs. On other days, it could mean gardening or organizing your closet.
Don’t stress too much about whether your heart rate stays below 50% of its maximum or if it inches higher, Friedman added. Focus more on moving in a way that feels good to you.
Besides, you might enjoy the activity more if you aren’t monitoring yourself. “I’d rather people just get out there and move,” he said, “and do something they love.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.