10-minute workouts make a difference?
- September 7, 2015, 8:54 pm
- Health News
- 150 Views
HQ City Desk
Got 10 minutes? What about eight? Or six? Seems the hour-long workout has shrunk to a few minutes. Sure, brief exercise is less daunting and easier to do, but is it enough to get results?
Stephen Lowrie has received the message to squeeze in exercise wherever he can. He parks far from the entrance, takes the stairs — even lifts weights at his desk.
"I don't do all these things all the time every day," said Lowrie, 47, of Bedford, N.H. "If I did I'd be in great shape."
Perhaps. Lowrie's piecemeal fitness regimen is something that's been encouraged as even videotaped exercise routines shrink to mere minutes. But as enticing as such programs sound, getting into shape is generally going to take more than a session of eight-minute abs, said Jillian Michaels, a personal trainer on The Biggest Loser.
"Ten minutes?" said Michaels. "Forget it. What are you going to burn? A hundred calories. A pound is 3,500 calories. I'm so tired of sending Americans a false message. 'Hey, just take the stairs."'
The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association recommend for adults under age 65 a minimum of 30 minutes of moderately intense cardio (such as brisk walking) per day five days a week or 20 minutes of vigorously intense cardio (such as running) three days a week. Strength training should be done as part of the routine twice a week.
To lose weight or maintain weight loss, 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity may be necessary, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Still, micro-workouts are everywhere, from Jorge Cruise's 8 Minutes in the Morning to Tracey Mallett's Sexy in 6, a fitness program with six-minute workouts.
Studies show that breaking workouts into mini sessions is as effective as continuous workouts. And considering time is one of the biggest reasons people give for not exercising, the mini-sessions make sense.
"The key isn't really how long the duration or short," said Tamilee Webb, best known for Buns & Abs of Steel. "It's the intensity and the consistency."
Over the years, efficient exercises have shortened workouts, said Kathy Smith, whose Tummy Trimmers DVD includes short ab workouts. For example, she said a squat with a bicep curl works more than one muscle.
