We’re all busy. And for most of us, it’s hard to find time in the day for a full workout. So we sometimes wonder: How little exercise can I get away with?
Well, the answer may be 60 seconds.
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A new study has found that one minute of intense, strenuous exercise had comparable physiological effects of 45 minutes of less arduous exercise.
Scientists from Canada recruited 25 out-of-shape men in their 20s and 30s and split them into three groups. One group worked out at moderate intensity for 45 minutes three times a week, another group worked out using high intensity interval training for one minute, and the third group did nothing to alter their particular sedentary lifestyle.
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The results found that both exercising groups showed an almost 20% gain in V02 peak (a measurement of the body’s ability to use oxygen), and a dramatic improvement in handling blood sugar. Their bodies also dramatically increased mitochondrial count in their muscles, which is a good sign of cellular function. The key finding was that the men who did the shorter intense workouts performed just as well by these measures than those who did the longer workouts.
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Could this be too good to be true? Maybe. First of all, the researchers only studied 25 men (a very small group), who were all young, so we don’t know if the same results would be found in older people. Also, they all started out out-of-shape, so it’s not clear how and if these benefits would have changed if they were already in shape. Additionally, they were only studied for 12 weeks – so things might look different over a longer period of time.
But while more research is needed, it certainly isn’t the first study to show that a little bit of exercise can have huge benefits. And there’s no doubt that a small workout is hugely better than none at all. These findings just added some powerful support to that.
Curated article from:
NY Times
