FollowObesity is the root cause of many lifestyle diseases that are leading to preventable deaths in US. In the past four decades, obesity rates in the US have soared, and kids ages six to 11 have been hit the hardest. But here is a good news for people who loathe exercises.
Researchers say, for weight loss the intensity of the physical activity matters more than the duration you have engaged into it.
According to a study, excess weight gains can be easily controlled by brief episodes of intense physical activity. Researchers claimed that higher-intensity activity was linked to lower risk of obesity even if the duration was less than 10 minutes.
“What we learned is that for preventing weight gain, the intensity of the activity matters more than duration,” said Dr. Jessie X. Fan, professor of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah and the study leader.”Knowing that even short bouts of brisk activity can add up to a positive effect is an encouraging message for promoting better health.”
What the researchers recommend?
The experts recommend that the Americans should engage in minimum of 150 minutes of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) per week. This can be achieved in eight to 10 minute periods.
Researchers recommend people to prefer the stairs instead of an elevator, parking on the other side of a parking lot, and walking to the store for household tasks and odd jobs can help people lose weight.
Study
The researchers carried a study on 2,202 women and 2,309 men who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2003 and 2006. At the time, the participants wore accelerometers over seven days to measure their physical activity.
Researchers analyzed the exercise based on the intensity and duration of each session. Participants were divided into four groups – exercising in high intensity bouts for greater or less than 10 minutes and low-intensity bouts greater or less than 10 minutes.
Among the women, those who were involved in high-intensity, short bouts of exercise showed a decrease of .07 Body Mass Index (BMI). Similar results were found in men too.
Researchers also found that if women engaged in high intensity exercise every minute, they lowered the chances of obesity by 5 percent. On the other hand, men involved in similar activity decreased the odds of obesity by 2 percent.
The study was published this week in the American Journal of Health Promotion.
