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www.sundayterritorian.com.au Sunday, November 10, 2013. Sunday Territorian. 23
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NTNE-WS-DA-TE:10-NGE:23 CO-LO-R: C-M Y-K
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sundayterritorian.com.au SUNDAY LIFESTYLE
WORKOUT
THE 60- SECOND
Next time you’re walking to
the photocopier, clothes line
or bathroom, stride out with
purpose because even just one minute
of moderate exercise can be added
to your daily amount, helping to
improve your fi tness and lose weight.
This is the fi nding of pivotal research
from the US, which turns on its head
studies that claim we need to exercise
for at least 10 minutes for it to count.
What scientists at The University
of Utah have concluded is that a
dozen or so bursts of exercise of only
60 seconds can accumulate over the
day to give the same health benefi ts as
a 10-minute bout of moderate exercise.
“What we learned is that for
preventing weight gain, the intensity of
the activity matters more than duration,”
lead researcher Jessie X Fan says.
She explains that this fi nding is
groundbreaking because fewer than
5 per cent of people in the US – and
a similar number of Australians, she
estimates – do the recommended 150
minutes of physical activity a week.
“Knowing that even short bouts of
‘brisk’ activity can add up to a positive
effect is an encouraging message for
promoting better health,” she says.
But Fan is quick to point out that
these one-minute bursts shouldn’t be
replacing longer sessions of exercise.
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Each minute of “brisk” exercise can be added to your overall weekly tally. By Fiona Baker
PH
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AP
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“Short bouts of exercise aren’t a
substitute for long bouts. They can be
added together to reach the overall goal
for better health,” she says. “[But] the
one hour-gym sessions or a 30-minute
walk are still great if you have the time.”
WHAT IS “BRISK” EXERCISE?
A minute of what the researchers termed
“brisk” exercise isn’t as extreme as you’d
think. They measured exercise intensity
using a widely accepted numerical scale
called MET (metabolic equivalent in
exercise testing), and categorised “brisk”
as level three – which means three-times
greater than resting output. An example
of a level three exercise is walking at less
than 5km per hour. As a comparison,
swimming laps at a slow to moderate
pace is level six to eight, Fan explains.
It doesn’t need to be a one-minute
round of burpees or a full-speed sprint,
and
”
RAKING UP
THE LEAVES
WASHING THE FLOOR
MAKING THE BED
AND CHANGING
THE SHEETS
MOWING THE LAWN (WITH A
POWER MOWER)PLAYING DOUBLES
BADMINTON
TENPIN BOWLINGFISHING
CARRYING GOLF CLUBS
SWIMMING AT
2KM PER HOUR
PLAYING A GAME OF TABLE TENNIS
WORKOUTN
ext time you’re walking to
the photocopier, clothes line
or bathroom, stride out with
purpose because even just one minute
of moderate exercise can be added
to your daily amount, helping to
improve your fi tness and lose weight.
This is the fi nding of pivotal research
from the US, which turns on its head
studies that claim we need to exercise
for at least 10 minutes for it to count.
What scientists at The University
of Utah have concluded is that a
dozen or so bursts of exercise of only
60 seconds can accumulate over the
day to give the same health benefi ts as
a 10-minute bout of moderate exercise.
WORKOUT“What we learned is that for
preventing weight gain, the intensity of
the activity matters more than duration,”
lead researcher Jessie X Fan says.
She explains that this fi nding is
groundbreaking because fewer than
5 per cent of people in the US – and
a similar number of Australians, she
estimates – do the recommended 150
minutes of physical activity a week.
“Knowing that even short bouts of
ty of
ation,”
s.
han
and
he
d 150
ek.
of
r
s.
a
be
.
‘brisk’ activity can add up to a positive
effect is an encouraging message for
promoting better health,” she says.
But Fan is quick to point out that
these one-minute bursts shouldn’t be
replacing longer sessions of exercise.
sitive
e for
s.
at
’t be
cise.
exercise testing), and categorised “brisk”
“[You could] dance to music for a couple
and
”
b
But Johnson is wary of people
putting too much weight on these latest
US fi ndings. “The recommendation is for
30 minutes of moderate exercise a day
and 150 minutes a week – and that’s
still what I’d recommend. I wouldn’t
like to see people accumulate this all
in single one-minute bursts,” he says.
“This isn’t an exercise quick-fi x
and shouldn’t be seen as such. But if
knowing this information gets people out
of their seats and doing a bit more than
usual, even for a minute – like taking the
stairs or walking to see colleagues rather
than sending emails – then that’s good.”
SHIFTING THE WEIGHT
Nevertheless, the fi ndings of this study
have been deemed by Fan as “exciting”,
particularly because the results also
translate into weight loss and lower BMIs.
The research showed that for women,
each daily minute of higher-intensity
short-bout exercise related to a decrease
of .07 BMI. That means, Fan says, that
she adds, but nor is it a gentle stroll,
in which you stop to smell the roses.
“[You could] dance to music for a couple
of minutes when you take a computer
break or park at the end of the parking
lot and walk briskly to your destination.”
Dr Nathan Johnson, senior lecturer
at The University of Sydney’s Boden
Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise
and Eating Disorders, describes brisk
exercise as enough to get your heart
rate up but not enough that you’re
puffed or unable to hold a conversation.
He uses the term “purposeful exercise”.
“Running up stairs would be
considered hardcore,” he says. “Instead,
undertake purposeful exercise – I use
a photocopier in a different building.
Walk to it briskly, with purpose and
without stopping along the way.”
Walk to it briskly, with purpose and
without stopping along the way.”
and
”
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each minute offsets the calorie equivalent
of 185g – so when comparing two
women of 165cm in height, the one who
regularly adds a minute of brisk activity
to her day will weigh nearly 220g less.
For both men and women, each
daily minute of higher-intensity activity
lowered the odds of obesity – by 5 per
cent for women and 2 per cent for men.
“What our study has shown is that
as long as [your] cardiovascular fi tness
is good for a brisk walk, [you] can get
benefi ts from doing so,” Fan says.