“That approach requires about 10 minutes in total,which is still a very small time commitment,” Gibala notes,adding that although people say they lack the time to exercise,most are choosing to spend their time elsewhere.
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Australian adults spend anaverage of 13 hours a week watching television,for instance,andabout seven hours a day on electronic devices.
“I do think a benefit of studies like our recent effort is to remind people that ‘exercise’ does not have to involve changing into spandex,going to the gym,and requiring an hour time commitment,” says Gibala,stressing that the “snacks” are a good place to start but do not replace the exercise guidelines nor do they provide the same benefits as a more robust routine.
“It’s about working physical activity into your day,and there are countless ways to fit it into our lives in practical ways that do not demand much time,and even this can provide health and fitness benefits.”
Emmanuel Stamatakis is a professor of physical activity,lifestyle and population health at the University of Sydney.
He says that it is a very timely study,particularly given that the recently revisedUS Physical Activity Guidelines abandoned the 10-minute exercise minimum.
Stamatakis adds that “exercise snacks” are appropriate and achievable for most adults,regardless of their fitness.
“Most people can walk up a few flights of stairs daily,do a few ‘walking sprints’ or park their car a bit further away and carry their groceries for some 50 to 100 metres or so,” he says.
“It is impressive to see how such a low dose of exercise over a short period of time has[such] rapid effects on fitness,one could speculate that if such an activity pattern was maintained long term it would have much more dramatic effects.”
In a paper due to be published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in February,Stamatakis and his colleagues argue that for those who are overweight or unfit (that is,the majority of Australian adults) “huffing and puffing” regularly through intense incidental activity – which could mean climbing stairs,walking uphill,walking briskly on a level surface or running and playing with children – is a valid way to keep healthy and fit.
Gibala says that there are a host of complex behavioural reasons why people don’t make time to move but finding ways to help them start is important and necesary to reduce the epidemic of chronic disease and obesity,while improving social and emotional health and wellbeing.
“For those who are quite sedentary and just starting out,it is such an emotional gulf to think about getting to the recommended 150 minutes per week of activity,” Gibala says. “The message is,start small and every bit counts.”