Not a fan of exercise? You’ll be glad to hear that according to a new study featured on Science Daily, just about any form of physical activity counts as working out, as long your heart and lungs are put to work.
Using data from the US National Heath and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers from the University of Utah studied 2,309 men and 2,202 women between 18 and 64 years old who were asked to wear accelerometers for seven days. The participants were then categorized based on the duration and intensity of their physical activity.
According to the results, every minute spent doing high-intensity but short workout routines (less than 10 minutes but greater than 2,02o counts per minute) meant losing the calorie equivalent of .41 pounds. Every minute of high-intensity physical activity decreased the risk of obesity by five percent in women and two percent in men.
Experts recommend getting at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise in a week. As the effects are cumulative, doing this religiously may help you keep excess weight off and improve your overall well-being.
(Photo by Indiana Stan via Flickr Creative Commons)
