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It’s no surprise that exercise is good for you – the benefits range from increasing your energy to adding years to your life. But many of us fall into the trap of giving up any exercise when there is no time to do it. enough exercise. You can’t commit to a 30-minute Peloton session, let alone an hour-long run with friends, so why bother?
It is especially true now, when a global pandemic (at best) has left many of us overwhelmed, making adaptation to training as impossible as booking an enthusiastic Mediterranean cruise.
Overworked people can be cheering, however. A study recently published in British Medical Journal indicates that, although moderate training and short periods of high-intensity exercise have health benefits, the latter increased life expectancy a little more, helped participants to get more fit and increased their quality of life.
The long-standing standard for exercise is “150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity physical activity, which is basically a brisk walk,” says Dr. Edward Phillips, assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. Or, based on the standards listed in the CDC’s 2008 American Physical Activity Guidelines, you could do vigorous exercise and cut your time in half.
But while the time targets remained the same, the agency’s 2018 update removed the requirement that physical activity sessions had to last at least 10 minutes to count towards the weekly movement goal. In the most recent update, any amount of physical activity counts towards the weekly goal. This, together with the BMJ The results of the study that short bursts of high intensity exercise can lead to better health and well-being, is great news for those of us who are already using athletics 24-7: at least when we find those few extra minutes, we are already dressed to start sweating.
The obvious bonus of doing high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is that you can put on four-minute fitness sessions at intervals in your day and get pretty much the same results you would get with much longer, but less intense exercise. . This means that, instead of having to save your time for long journeys on the treadmill, you can simply train quickly during advertisements on Hulu and go back to surfing on the couch.
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How do you know if your exercise is intense enough to get the benefits? Dr. Phillips recommends the “speech test”: if you can speak and sing, this is a light exercise. With moderate exercise, you can speak, but you cannot sing, and if you are working hard, you will not be able to finish the sentence. So, to get the benefits of a short, high-intensity workout, try hard enough that you won’t be able to have a conversation or sing along with your Lizzo playlist in the queue.
Dr. Phillips notes that going from inactive to moderately active reduces the risk of premature death by 72%. “Can you think of a medication or surgery, anything on the market, that is more potent than that?” he says. “And along the way, it makes you feel better, sleep better, have more patience, improve your joy in life, your function, your sex life and your sleep.”
In addition to the physical benefits of high-intensity exercise – including general health and weight control – the benefits for mental health are just as powerful. (Considering that we are in the midst of a national mental health crisis, any low-commitment activity that has stress-relieving properties is a good thing.)
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“During that time, the mental health benefit is very important,” said Dr. Stephen Thomas, head of the exercise science department at Thomas Jefferson University. “It’s a good way to get endorphin released.”
“You don’t have to run another hour,” he says. “You could do some quick sprints, some plyometric exercises, squats or push-ups, get that explosion and really change your mood.”
That “runner buzz” you always hear about tends not to come until you’re in a run, says Thomas, which means you can maximize your time and the increase in endorphins by running around the block or staying in place and doing burpees, squats and lunges. Endorphins come faster and tend to last a little longer as well.
“There is a small transition effect, rather than with a lower or moderate type of exercise, which can lead to an increase in mood,” says Thomas. “This can increase focus and help you to be more efficient.”
So, to recap: 15 minutes a day can increase your longevity, improve your mental health and give you the necessary energy and focus. Are you convinced yet?
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How to incorporate HIIT into your life
As with any new exercise regime, remember to consult your doctor first. “Your heart is also a muscle and if you are not in a healthy state, you will not be able to withstand” sudden high-intensity exercise, says Thomas. He also advises that you are well warmed up, if only with a few simple stretches, before you start. To relax at home, try an on-demand fitness platform, such as Obé, which includes HIIT and HIIT dance programs, or a YouTube class, such as that taught by fitness expert Toni Mitchell.
Mickey Myvett, a National Academy of Sports Medicine certified trainer who trains clients at the spa at the Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown, suggests that you do an early morning session, at lunchtime or in the late afternoon, to help fight a power outage without caffeine.
She provided exercise suggestions for each hour of the day; each 15-minute session requires 30 seconds of exercises such as push-ups, climbers, high knees, lunges and invisible jump ropes, with 30 seconds of rest between each set. You can mix up the exercise list, just try to work as hard as you can during those 30 seconds (remember: you shouldn’t be able to sing or speak during the set).
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Waking up and working: One to three sets, 30 seconds each: glute bridge, reverse crunch, climbers, push up, back extension, with 30 seconds of rest between each.
Break for lunch: One to three sets of 30 seconds each: squat (increased heart rate), kicks in the butt, high knees, invisible skipping rope, alternate thrusts, with 30 seconds of rest between each.
Remove the afternoon: One to three sets, 30 seconds each: Worm in inches, largest stretch in the world, bird dog, rotation of the T column, hydrant, with 30 seconds of rest between each one.
And if you just can’t sweat at noon, Myvett says to find time to move around anyway. “A five-minute stair workout – going up and down stairs at home or at work – or even a five-minute walk to lunch helps central nervous system performance,” says Myvett. “Remember: everything counts, as long as you are moving!”