We know we should be exercising, but how much is enough, or at least, good enough?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that we engage in moderate-to-intense physical activity for at least 150 minutes each week. Some find it easiest to break it down into five half-hour workouts; others may do six 25-minute workouts. The sad news is that for many more people, there is no workout whatsoever. It’s tough to find those 150 minutes each week, so rather than try to fit it into our schedules, we give up.
Good Enough
Research shows that there is actually a benefit to doing a brief (or very brief) workout. If it is impossible to find a half-hour all at once, 10 minutes three times a day or five minutes six times a day —or any combination thereof — seems to work just as well. Even if the 150 minutes is not reached, there is always a benefit to working out regardless of the length of time.
Of course, what happens during that quick workout matters. For this kind of physical activity to be effective, there should be at least one minute of intense exercise during the workout that elevates the heart rate, studies show. For my personal training clients (who range in age from 55-93), I incorporate High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) into our workouts.
What is HIIT? It is not as bad as it sounds. It’s intervals of time during which we exercise at high intensity and others where we work out at lower intensity during a workout or during one exercise.
One of my favorites is a jog-in-place HIIT. It takes five minutes—and who doesn’t have five minutes for their health? Begin with one minute of an easy jog (or march-in-place). Follow it with 20 seconds of going as fast as possible. Then it’s 60 seconds at an easy pace and another 20 seconds fast. This is followed by one more cycle of 60/20, and finally, a 60-second cooldown.
The workout can be scaled up to eight, 10, 15 or more minutes. The periods of high intensity and low intensity can be personalized and change over time. It is also a good idea to mix it up so you don’t do the same exercise every time; try this on a stationary bike, walking on a path, with light weights or body-weight exercises such as dancing.
HIIT exercises are effective because they allow us to exercise longer than if we were to go full-speed the whole time. It raises heart and metabolic rates and keeps them elevated longer. Depending on how long the HIIT workout is, the effects can last for hours and help burn calories long after the workout ends.
When it comes to taking care of ourselves, we all have plenty of excuses explaining why we don’t do a better job. A big one is the perception that it takes too long; we are simply too busy to devote the time to exercise. Truthfully,150 minutes does seem like a long time, but we don’t need to go from zero to 150 in one week. Try a daily five-minute HIIT workout for one week, then dial it up: lengthen the workout or try to do two or three each day.
Short workouts can be very effective. They are a great way to work up to those 150 minutes.
