(NaturalPath) A new study out of McMaster University revealed that a single minute of very intense exercise produces health benefits similar to longer, traditional endurance training. Now there are no more excuses about not enough time to get in shape.
One researcher notes that, “This is a very time-efficient workout strategy” and that “Brief bursts of intense exercise are remarkably effective.”
The study compared the sprint interval training (SIT) and the moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) to look at factors like cardiorespiratory fitness and insulin sensitivity, a measure of how the body regulates blood sugar.
The study included 27 sedentary men that performed three weekly sessions of either intense or moderate training for 12 weeks, or to a control group that didn’t exercise. The SIT protocol included a workout totaled only 10 minutes with warm-up, cool-down and “all-out cycle sprints”. This was compared to 45 minutes of continuous cycling at a moderate pace plus the warm-up and cool-down periods.
After the three months of training, the results were remarkably similar even though the MICT protocol involved five times as much exercise and a five-fold greater time commitment.
So don’t let time be an excuse for not exercising.
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.