HEALTH IMPACT OF SHORT EXERCISE ON YOUR BODY
Are 5-minutes workouts effective enough?
Most of us haven’t even thought of working out for just five minutes. Honestly, it seems like it’s hardly any time to see benefits. But in reality, short bursts of exercise help in a big way. Not only does it help you lose weight, but also improves your sleep and energy levels. What’s more, when you are in shape, it also helps to enhance your self-confidence. And research suggests that even a routine that equals one minute has its benefits! We have our mouth wide open too!
As per a study by the University of Utah, the short workouts you do during the day can add up to something big. It was seen that those women who had incorporated short bursts of high-intensity exercises into everyday life saw a decrease in their body mass index, even though it was slight. Even their obesity went down for them! The biggest secret is to increase the intensity of the workouts; the duration of the workout is insignificant.
There’s another study that was published in Obesity that showed that splitting exercise in short chunks also helps to control your appetite. There was one set of obese participants who did an hour of exercise everyday, while there was another set who did 12 sessions of five-minute workouts. It was then revealed that the group that did shorter workouts said they felt an average of 32% fuller during daytime.
You can burn a decent number of calories
Of course, this depends on the intensity of the exercise. Research suggests you can burn up to 20 calories a minute, when you do a high-intensity interval workout. But the real benefits are seen once your workout is done. These short workouts can help you burn more fat all day, thanks to the ‘afterburn effect’ that lasts for up to 48 hours, after an intense workout.
According to experts, this is also post-exercise oxygen consumption, which means that your body consumes more oxygen and burns more fat and calories post an intense workout.
Here’s how you can fit exercise into your routine
It might seem like a huge task to exercise every day, but c’mon, five minutes is not that long! We’ll tell you how to manage your time:
- If you are watching TV and there’s a commercial break, just get up and do some jumping jacks and pushups.
- You can do a few calf raises when you brush your teeth.
- You can also set a reminder on your phone that motivates you to exercise throughout the day.
- Walk as much as possible, instead of taking your car even to short distances.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
