Study: A little exercise lessens fatigue

ATHENS, Ga., Feb. 29 (UPI) -- Exercise may help tired coach potatoes boost energy 20 percent, a study by the University of Georgia found.

The study, published in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, found moderate-intensity exercise reduced fatigue 49 percent but the low-intensity exercise group had an even greater reduction in fatigue -- 65 percent.

"It could be that moderate-intensity exercise is too much for people who are already fatigued, and that might contribute to them not getting as great an improvement as they would had they done the low-intensity exercise," senior study author Patrick O'Connor said in a statement.

The researchers divided 36 volunteers with non-disease related fatigue who did not regularly exercise into three groups. The first group engaged in 20 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise three times a week for six weeks and the second group engaged in low-intensity aerobic exercise for the same time period. The control group did not exercise.

"Exercise traditionally has been associated with physical health, but we are quickly learning that exercise has a more holistic effect on the human body and includes effects on psychological health," study lead author Tim Puetz said in a statement.