Recently, there have been conflicting headlines in the media about how long you should exercise. One study suggested that 20 minutes of interval exercise may be all you need, while another stated that women should exercise for one hour every day just to maintain their current weight. Every woman I knew who heard about this study suddenly became very discouraged. So which one is right?
Sneak in exercise whenever you can. If you are short on time, up the intensity.
These two studies actually examined very different populations. The study in the March edition of the Journal of Physiology found that short periods of high-interval training was just as effective as long durations of endurance training, based on the results from seven young, healthy men. The other study was performed at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School and studied 34,000 women, with the average age of 54. This study found that women who exercised moderately for one hour every day were better able to stave off weight gain.
So, how much should you exercise? It depends on your goals and your current activity level. If you are new to exercise, start slowly and gradually build up your time and intensity as you get more fit. If you are already pretty fit, try interval training to kick your workouts up a notch and see faster results.
The bottom line is that anything is better than nothing. If you are short on time try a 10-30 minute brisk walk or jog including higher intensity intervals. An even better option is to do a quick circuit training workout, in which you get your heart rate up and tone your muscles at the same time for maximum caloric burn. If you are still unsure of how much and what type of exercise is best for you, meet with a personal trainer. Even if it is only for one session, a trainer can get you started on a personalized program to help you meet your individual needs on your schedule.