Author: Derek Beres / Source: Big Think
- A recent study from the Department of Health and Human Services found that 80 percent of Americans don’t exercise enough.
- Small breaks from work add up, causing experts to recommend short doses of movement rather than waiting to do longer workouts.
- Rethinking what exercise is can help you frame how you move throughout your day.
Yesterday I published this article detailing the fact that 80 percent of American adults and children do not get enough exercise, as prescribed by governmental guidelines. Exercise doesn’t require heading to a gym, however. As mentioned, simple activities, such as walking up the stairs (instead of taking the elevator), parking farther away from your destination, and gardening all contribute to a well-rounded movement diet.
Interestingly, the same agency that published that report in JAMA, the Department of Health and Human Services, isn’t only interested in getting you on the treadmill for an hour. They recommend breaking up every half-hour of sitting with two minutes of movement as a basic starter program, provided that shorter bouts are performed with the same intensity that would be required during longer sessions.
Brett P. Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the agency, puts it bluntly: Sit less, move more.
Whatever you do, it really all counts.
Having split my time between teaching fitness and working in media (which means sitting at a desk for hours at a time) for 15 years, I’ve long contemplated the various ways we can accrue enough exercise. While I’m personally a fan of longer stretches of exercise (I’d rather get an hour straight in than twelve 5-minute sessions) we all have different schedules. Below are ten different exercise ideas, half being “exercise” in the gym sense and the others being daily activities that require exertion, to help fill in holes in your schedule.
Tabata
In 1996, Professor Izumi Tabata created a four-minute workout protocol that requires twenty seconds of high intensity work followed by ten seconds of rest, repeated eight times. The workout has become wildly popular, for good reason. The video above features a number of Tabatas featuring a friend and colleague of mine, Raneir Pollard; I take his class every Tuesday, and yes, he is that energetic. You can break this video into smaller chunks, as needed.
The 7-minute workout
Think you need expensive equipment to stay in shape? That’s marketing, not reality. This seven-minute workout requires…
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