 No time for exercise? No worries! A number of studies showed that short periods of exercise really add up. Say, if you ran just 10 minutes in the morning, walked another 15 in the afternoon, and did some active house cleaning in the evening - that all add up to additional 30 minutes of exercise. One research published in "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise" took a group 24 sedentary women who walked 30 minutes all at once five days a week, and a similar second group who walked three times a day for 10 minutes (also five days a week). The improvements in cardiovascular fitness were virtually identical in both groups.
In another study published in the International Journal of Obesity, subjects performed continuous exercise three days per week, 30 minutes per session, or exercised intermittently using brisk walking for two, 15-minute sessions, five days per week. There were significant improvements for aerobic capacity for both groups, but the continuous exercise group lost more weight and decreased their percentage of body fat while the intermittent group did not. "From an overall health perspective, the significant cardiorespiratory fitness and HDL increases are much more important than the small amount of weight lost in the continuous group. You can do aerobic training all at once or break it up into smaller chunks throughout the day. The health and fitness benefits are about the same," explains Steve Farrell, Ph.D., of the Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas. The problem is that from a practical perspective, if you go out there and piecemeal your physical activity, there is a tendency to say, "Well, I was moving all day, so I'm getting all the exercise I need." You have to be aware of who you are and what works best for you. Some people do fine increasing their activity in small doses, fitting in 10 minutes here and there; others need to "get it out of the way" all at once. Here are simple tricks to get your moves add up: 1. No Parking. There is an overlooked opportunity for exercise everytime you cannot find a parking space. Park your car further away from your destination and walk the rest of the distance. Walking there is much better than sitting in your car, waiting for a rude driver to move his lousy truck. As a bonus you will help to reduce air polution and lower your stress levels considerably. 2. Take the Stairs. Ever thought of taking the stairs instead of an elevator? You may be surprised how much exercise you will get from rapidly going up two or three flights. Once you get to the top you can further boost your self-esteem by looking down on the lazy sods who chose to use the elevator to get to level one. 3. Shop Till You Drop. Why not carry your own shopping bags for a change? Those trolleys or carts usually don't function properly in any case. That way you are not only giving your upper body a quick strength workout, but you also reduce your stress levels! 4. Give Yourself a Raise. Do calf and toe raises while waiting in line at the post office, bank or cinema. Amazing what a long wait can do for those lower leg muscles. 5. Get a Grip. Keep one of those small grip devices or a strong rubber ball handy at work or at home. Use it to strengthen your hands, forearms and wrists while use the telehphone or while you watch television. Do the same with a set of dumbells in your desk drawer or underneath your bedside table. 6. Strike a Pose. Just by flexing a few times each day, you can maintain a significant amount of muscle tone. Simply flex those muscles whenever you are sitting in your car, standing at the bus stop or walking to the boss' office. Why not strike some show-off poses in your bathroom mirror while shaving or plucking your eyebrows? |
Get Active 
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