The Most Effective Form of Exercise Isn’t “Exercise” At All

The Most Effective(əˈfektiv) Form of Exercise(ˈeksərˌsīz)| Isn’t “Exercise” At All

By Emmanuel(əˈmanyəwəl) Stamatakis(staˈməˈtəlks)

Have you recently carried(ˈkarē) heavy(ˈhevē) shopping bags up a few flights(flīt) of stairs(ste(ə)r)? Or run the last 100 meters(ˈmēdər) to the station to catch your train? If you have, you may have unknowingly(ˌənˈnōiNGlē) been doing a style of exercise| called high-intensity(inˈtensədē) incidental(ˌinsəˈden(t)l) physical(ˈfizikəl) activity.

Our paper, published today in the British Journal of Sports Medicine(ˈmedəsən), shows this type of regular, incidental activity| that gets you huffing(həf) and puffing(pəf)| is likely to produce health benefits, even if you do it in 30-second bursts(bərst), spread(spred) over the day.

In fact, incorporating(inˈkôrpəˌrāt) more high-intensity activity into our daily routines|—whether that’s by vacuuming(-yəm,ˈvakˌyo͞o(ə)m) the carpet(ˈkärpit) with vigor(ˈvigər)| or walking uphill to buy your lunch—could be the key| to helping all of us| get some high quality exercise each day. And that includes people| who are overweight and unfit(ˌənˈfit).

What is high-intensity exercise?

Until recently, most health authorities(əˈTHôrədē) prescribed(prəˈskrīb) activity lasting for at least 10 continuous minutes, although there was no credible(ˈkredəbəl) scientific(ˌsīənˈtifik) evidence(ˈevədəns) behind this.

This recommendation(-ˌmen-,ˌrekəmənˈdāSHən) was recently refuted| by the 2018 US Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory(ədˈvīzərē) Report. The new guidelines| state any movement(ˈmo͞ovmənt) matters for health, no matter how long it lasts.

This appreciation(əˌprēSHēˈāSHən) for short episodes(ˈepəˌsōd) of physical activity| aligns(əˈlīn) with the core principles of high-intensity interval(ˈin(t)ərvəl) training (HIIT). HIIT is a hugely(ˈ(h)yo͞ojlē) popular regimen(ˈreZH-,ˈrejəmən)| involving repeated(rəˈpēdəd) short sessions, from six seconds to four minutes, with rests(rest)| from 30 seconds to four minutes| in between.

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https://qz.com/quartzy/1557217/how-to-integrate-hiit-exercise-into-your-daily-routine/