Why You’re Exercising All Wrong (and Just Need 30 Minutes a Week, Seriously)

Is 30 minutes a week really all you need? (Getty)

How often have you wanted to slim down, but been discouraged before you even started? All that sweaty effort and those endless hours plodding away on the elliptical machine or treadmill are, unsurprisingly, the biggest turn-off when it comes to getting into shape. But it turns out that you’re actually spending more time than you need to. Yep, researchers have discovered that workout sessions lasting just 10 minutes, performed three times a week, can (and will) transform your body for the better.

Based on findings about how exercise affects our bodies, scientists have reached a startling new conclusion: It’s not how long you spend working out that matters, but how hard you push yourself. And if you’re prepared to give an all-out effort in short bursts —an approach the experts call High Intensity Training (or HIT) — then the reward is a workout that need only last a matter of minutes, yet will produce a list of benefits as long as your arm, among them weight loss and better muscle tone. This is the underlying principle of “FastExercise,” a new approach to micro-workouts that really will help you to drop a dress size before you know it.

What HIT-style workouts offer are a super-efficient means of enhancing circulation and stripping away unwanted body fat, paving the way for a more streamlined and toned appearance. Sound too good to be true? Well, consider this: A study at the University of Ontario got 10 men and 10 women to do either HIT in the form of four-to-six bursts of 30-second sprints, or hour-long runs three times a week for six weeks. At the end of the trial, the steady runners had lost some body fat, but the HIT exercisers had shed more than twice as much, an impressive 12.4 percent of their fat mass. And they had done it in a fraction of the time.

Ideally, your three weekly sessions will include 10 minutes of running, walking, and cycling with fast “sprints” as well as a mini FastStrength circuit, with exercises such as squats and lunges designed to recruit multiple large muscle groups. This combination will elicit a significant metabolism-boosting effect that can last for up to 72 hours after each workout. There’s even evidence of an increased level of compounds such as catecholamines and growth hormone in the blood both during and after HIT workouts that are known to speed up the loss of fatty tissue around the body much more effectively than traditional slow paced jogging or length weight training sessions.

Let’s make no bones about it: “FastExercise” is not an easy option. It is tough and requires effort, but because the workouts are bite-sized, they’re surprisingly manageable. So let’s get started. What do you have to lose (other than that dress size, of course)?

1.  Write a pledge along the lines of “I will do a 10-minute session of HIT on the exercise bike, three times a week starting tomorrow evening when I get back from work.” Pin it on the wall, schedule it in your calendar, put reminders on your phone. Whatever works for you, but the more clearly you have thought it through, the more likely you are to actually do it.
2. Tell those around you what you intend to do. Publicly stating a goal makes you more likely to follow through.
3. Exercise with others. If you are planning on going for a jog with added HIT or a bit of FastWalking, find someone to do it with. One of the main reasons people employ trainers is to get them out of the house when they don’t feel like going.
4. Write a list of potential excuses: Can’t find shoes, running clothes in the wash, I’m tired, it’s cold, I’ll do it tomorrow, the dog has just been sick. There are millions of excuses for not exercising. Now address each in turn and write down the solutions. If you anticipate potential barriers ahead of time, it reduces the chance of backsliding.
5. Create visual cues. Just as you are more likely to eat biscuits if they are in full view, so you are more likely to exercise if the cues are staring you in the face. Put your running shoes by the front door, move the exercise bike into the family room, find somewhere else to throw your dirty laundry other than on the treadmill.
6. Be aware that you have an inner voice It might tell you “This is a waste of time.” Remind yourself of your goals. Remind yourself that you will feel better afterwards. Or simply think of something else. Your inner voice is not something you have to pay attention to.
7. Your barriers will be different from mine. But they do need to be considered and also reviewed once you have started the program. Auditing your experience will make it easier to get in the habit of doing it regularly.

P.S.  It’s important to include resistance training as part of your overall fitness regimen. You can do these on the days that you don’t do HIT. You don’t need to do intense training more than three days per week.

P.P.S.  Visit exercises for diabetics today where you will find structured exercises for the entire body.