Short Bouts of Brisk Exercise May Help Cut Obesity Risk | WPN World People News

Higher-intensity exercise, even in spurts, plays an important role in controlling weight, according to a new study.

For preventing weight gain, the intensity of the activity matters more than duration.

This new understanding is important because fewer than 5 percent of American adults today achieve the recommended level of physical activity in a week according to the current physical activity guidelines. Knowing that even short bouts of 'brisk' activity can add up to a positive effect is an encouraging message for promoting better health.

The current physical activity guideline for Americans is to get at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity a week, which can be accumulated in eight- to 10-minute periods.

The analysis of data from more than 2,200 women and 2,300 men, aged 18 to 64, found that higher-intensity activity was associated with a lower risk of obesity, whether it was performed in sessions of shorter or longer than 10 minutes.

Each daily minute of higher-intensity activity reduced the risk of obesity by 5 percent in women and by 2 percent in men, according to the study.

For women, each daily minute of higher-intensity activity offsets the calorie equivalent of 0.41 pounds. This means that a 5-foot, 5-inch woman who regularly adds a minute of higher-intensity activity to her day will weigh nearly half a pound less than a woman of similar height who is not as active, the researchers said. And the findings were similar for men.

Source: HealthDay News