Who needs the gym? Short bursts of physical activity may be as healthy as workouts

life.nationalpost.com...

If going to the gym to exercise really isn’t your scene, simply walking up the stairs may have the same physical and health results. A new U.S. study suggests that short bursts of exercise, comprised of anything from short walks to chores done in the home, can be just as helpful to maintain a healthy lifestyle as those who go to the gym regularly. These may also include pacing while talking on the phone or picking up the rake instead of the leaf blower.

Well Duh, who would have thought? Physical activity still works if it's not in a gym. How do I get money for this kind of study in the U.S.
Now here's a real study, are ATS people more or less physically fit. Do we spend to much time in front of the computer, or are we more balanced because we have discerning minds.

I spend twenty minutes a day working out, six days a week to keep healthy and keep the fat off.
But that's just me.
I recommend by the way this 4 week workout as everyone I know that has used it has had amazing results.
www.muscleandfitness.com...
It actually gets easier the more weeks in you are.

How about everyone else.
It's anonymous, so we can tell the truth LOL

There's a U shaped curve for risk/benefit from working out, and it's dependent mostly on the gap between your current fitness level, and the level of activity you're doing each session.

People who are sedentary will benefit from light exercise. People who walk around regularly, or do physical labor will benefit from more strenuous exercise, etc..

I was doing crossfit last year, but burned out. Now it's just cycling around, doing squats, push press, and heavy deads twice a month, plus some pullup variations, and dips.

It's simply not worth it for me to truly body-build, but I do want to stay fit to enjoy a long, active life. I'm 30 and plan on having kids within the next few years, and want to be able to keep up with them and enjoy some outdoor activities as they grow up.

The other part of the equation is a healthy diet, of course.

That's why I threw up the beginner Muscle and fitness link. Light weights, no burn out and I saw quick gains which actually shocked me.

Very high recommend, especially if you are older.

I go to Gym because even tho i have a treadmill at home,. i get lazy.

Soon as i saw the "short burst activity" H.I.I.T came to mind.

High Intensity Interval Training Link

There is numerous methods, its pretty much, sprint at high speed for a while, then quick rest, then high speed sprint again.

I currently do the Little Method... I sprint for 1 minute at 9.0 speed, then walk 2 mins at 3.5 speed. You can start with lesser walk/run speed and slowly increase the speed and to top it off, you can reduce the intervals.

This is faster way to reduce weight and increase performance, and it would only cost you about 30 mins... where as if you do it normally, it will take 1 hour+.

reply to post by luciddream


Not trying to come down on you, but HIIT can't be performed with sprints over 30 second periods. The energy systems simply don't work like that. You will run out of a sprint long before that minute is up. You should be at such an intensity that you close to max your heart rate out before the sprint is over.

Another point is that you should really try to keep HIIT under 20 minutes to make sure your cortisol levels don't rise too much. A beginner would be best to start with maybe 4-6 intervals with maybe a 1:4 sprint/jog ratio. The sprint should probably be shorter than 30 seconds. Anywhere from 15-20 is probably best for a noob.

Any exercise is good exercise! Of course you don’t need a gym, but it is far easier with all of the equipment. But it depends on your goals. You can do hill runs for cardio/weight loss and also strengthens legs and body weight exercises like dips, push ups and pull up and you’ll be pretty fine. Saying that, there’s always a better way, an easier way, a more efficient way of doing this and in this case it’s going to a gym.

It’s all mental. You need the motivation to go regularly, but you just think of the benefits of it. The first few months you’ll always notice the biggest gains. After that period you’ve got to push harder and harder to see more results otherwise you’re effectively going into a maintenance type program where you won’t lose conditioning but you won’t gain it either.

To get bigger, fitter and stronger you’ve got to be constantly pushing yourself further and further. It’s fun and it’s a good challenge. Each session try to go that extra 30 seconds on the bike and after a couple of weeks before you know it you’ve added five minutes onto your routine. Or program it a level higher each time and again before you know it you’ll go from struggling on level 5 to slogging it out on level 10 or 12. Same with weight lifting, but form always always always comes before shear weight, always. No use benching 100kg if you move the bar total of 30cm up. You’re far better off dropping to 80kg and bringing the bar right down and touch your chest with it, but not bouncing. Only powering up.

Lots of people use a rake or stairs, usually because they have to, and we still have an obesity epidemic.

It's going to take more than that. Quite a few overweight people I have known have assumed that their daily activities of shopping, house choirs or whatever are enough to be fit. I think this story will be music to their ears, but it won't help the problem much. Sure any kind of movement is beneficial, but this falls short of whats required to stop the obesity epidemic.

Actually starting personal training tomorrow. Twice a week. I have to be pushed or i sit on my butt. The lady scared me, she wants me at high school weight....says I can do it. I'm only about 20 lbs overweight, but back to 100-105 lbs! This woman's gonna kill me!

reply to post by polarwarrior


Real routine exercise for everyone will not only help obesity, but will improve mental health. People with depression and such things need exercise to have a total healthy body and mind. Most don't realize it helps balance brain chemicals.

Something primal and inherent in going to the gym. Distractions and stress of the day seem to fade. Sometimes I cant wait to hit the gym after a particularly taxing day at the office.

At the end of the day, the amount of time you spend doing physical activity is entirely dependent on the unique individual. Some need it more the others, while others are content not to do any at all.

Limiting your time to workout as the article suggests sounds like it would serve only a very few, as I benefit both physically and mentally from it.

Mob mentality has a positive benefit in the gym LOL. Seeing and talking to others helps motivate seeing what they accomplished and also gives you access to info you might not come in contact with otherwise.

Not saying run out and sign up, but there are benefits to having another with you.

reply to post by unityemissions



I agree. I like this guys approach. Peak 8. 8 full intensity 'sprints'. Full intensity is different depending on the exercise you employ. Yes you can't sprint for 30 seconds, but you can max out an elliptical or a bike for 30 seconds.

fitness.mercola.com...

add this to weights and you will look like a greek god.

I have an adustable bench and a basic set of free weights, i use them for about 30 mins 5 days a week and i look like i go the gym and spend alot of time there. Granted i have been doing this same routine for years but it is possible to be in great shape from home. Eat right and be active a few hours a week and youll be set.

I'd agree with that. My grade 10 P.E teacher recommended trying to make your chores a workout as a way to get into working out. And I used to be faaaaaaaaat but a few years of just a little exorcise has amazing results with enough work.

I am 48 yrs old and had a bad fall over a year ago that paralyzed my deltoid muscle. A while back I realized it had reconnected again and so I started working it again doing pushups. I used pushups to stay pain free most of my life and having a dead muscle had derailed that.

Happy to say I am up to 7 sets of thirty a day now and I do that every day I work which is usually 5-6 days a week. The difference in how I feel compared to how I felt when I was unable to do it is amazing. Cumulative results are great and you can always build on what you can do now with a little effort.