I’ve exercised my entire life, most times at a minimum of 90 minutes each session. If I was training to run a marathon, I’d sometimes run for three hours. Obviously my goal was to compete, but if your goal isn’t competition, if your objective is to simply be fit, read on and learn how one minute of all-out exercise may be all you need.
A study conducted by scientists at the McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, compared super-short and more standard workouts. Although there have been previous studies concerning short, high intensity training versus long moderate exercise, the McMaster study is the most rigorous comprehensive scientific look at the two modalities of exercise.
The study recruited 25 out-of-shape young men. Their aerobic fitness and insulin levels were measured and their muscles biopsied. The group was then divided into three groups: a control group (they made no changes in their non-existent exercise routine), a second group (they began an endurance type routine consisting of stationary bike riding for 45 minutes), and finally, group three (they began an abbreviated interval training workout). Group three’s routine consisted of:
- 2-minute warm-up on the bike
- All-out sprint for 20 seconds
- 2 minutes very slow pace
- All-out sprint 20 seconds
- 2 minutes very slow pace
- All-out sprint 20 seconds
- Cool down 3 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes, with only one minute of strenuous activity
After twelve weeks of exercise, three times each week (a period twice as long as most previous studies of interval training), research showed the second group (the endurance group) had ridden for 27 hours. The third group (the interval training group) had ridden only six hours, with only 36 minutes of that time being strenuous.
When the scientists retested both groups with respect to aerobic fitness, muscle and blood-sugar control, both groups showed identical gains. Regardless of their method of exercise, endurance or interval, each participant’s endurance showed an increase of 20 per cent, insulin resistance had improved, and significant increases were shown in the muscles related to energy production and oxygen consumption. As expected, the control group (no exercise) experienced no changes in health or fitness.
For police officers, these findings are important because we work long hours and sometimes work our days off. It’s difficult to always find time to exercise, however, finding 10 minutes, a seemingly insignificant amount of time, should be doable. Moreover, the interval type exercise you choose can be as simple as hopping up and down the stairs at your home. Read the entire study here: PLOS one.
One other study that may be of interest to those trying to carve out a chunk of time every day to exercise comes from The Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Researchers from several universities studied the data compiled at the Cooper Clinic and Cooper Institute in Dallas, TX. Looking at the records of more than 55K healthy men and women, ages 18-100, they found those who ran had a 30% lower risk of dying than non-runners. Additionally, the risk of dying from heart disease was 45% lower.
However, here’s the astonishing finding: runners gained about three extra years of life compared with those adults who never ran. It didn’t matter if people ran fast, slow, short or long. As little as 5 or 10 minutes a day, at a leisurely pace of 10 minutes or slower, was all it took to benefit from running. Read the entire article here: Running 5 Minutes a Day Has Long-Lasting Benefits.
I hope you’ll find this new information encouraging. Some of us think if we can’t get to the gym, or if we only have 20 minutes of free time, it’s not worth the effort to exercise. Hopefully, this new information will give you a new perspective on the value of even a short workout. Now lace up a pair of running shoes and run out the back door for a leisurely jog - your heart will thank you.
Stay Safe, Brothers and Sisters!
John Wills
John M. Wills is a former Chicago police officer and retired FBI agent. He is a freelance writer and award-winning author in a variety of genres, including novels, short stories and poetry. John also writes book reviews for the New York Journal of Books, and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. His new book, The Year Without Christmas, is available now. Visit John at: www.johnmwills.com.
