The least you can do to stay fit

by Lynn Meredith

            Staying fit is a whole lot easier than getting fit. Just 30 minutes of brisk walking most days of the week could boost your health, cheer you up and help you maintain a steady weight. The good news is that even if you are sedentary, moving for as little as 10 minutes a day may significantly improve your health.

            The American College of Sports Medicine has released studies that indicates that in addition to walking, following a muscle strength and endurance program for a minimum of two days a week can help you stay fit.

Gather 30 minutes as you go through the day

• In an American College of Sports Medicine study published in 2002, researchers found that short bouts of exercise during the day were as effective in helping fitness, and the heart, overall health and mood as one longer session. The study found that formerly sedentary people who walked for 10 minutes three times a day improved their fitness levels and health to the same degree as those who walked for 30 minutes once a day.

• Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge found similar results in a study of 464 women who were non-exercisers. The women who lifted weights for 10 minutes gained as much strength as those who lifted weights for 30 minutes.

• One study in Preventative Medicine in 2006 showed that workout sessions as short as six minutes apiece could help sedentary adults reach fitness goals similar to those achieved by working out for 30 minutes.

When you only have 10 minutes

            • Walk briskly or jog

            • Do push-ups, sit-ups and jumping jacks

            • Turn up the music and dance

            • Jump rope

            • Lift weights

            • Do some yoga postures or Pilates exercises

09/05/2008