Whoa: One Minute of Exercise Can Have the Same Benefits as 45
Some fitness studies seem too good to be true, and you’re about to hear one of them. According to research featured in The New York Times and published in PLOS One, one minute of intense exercise is equal to working out lightly for 45 minutes. Last year, the American College of Sports Medicine predicted high-interval training would be a trend, but we never guessed just 60 seconds of strenuous exercise could have such benefits. (If you’re intrigued, read on and then try these short workouts that tone everything from your arms to your abs.)
At the end of the 12-week study, the endurance group had clocked 27 hours of bike riding, while the interval group had only worked out for six hours with only 36 minutes total of strenuous exercise. The results? Their aerobic fitness levels were basically the same. Both groups showed an increased endurance of nearly 20 percent, increase in muscle function and improvement in blood-sugar control. The scientists want to study the same thing in women next, but we’re guessing (and hoping) the results are similar.
This is obviously great news in a world where we’re ultra-busy but still want to be healthy. Now you have no excuse to skip the gym!
Do you find interval training effective? Let us know @BritandCo.
(h/t The New York Times, photos via Getty)