www.sundayterritorian.com.au Sunday, November 10, 2013. Sunday Territorian. 23

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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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“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

”

bodyandsoul.com.aubBODY+SOUL Find more great fitness tips at

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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.