johnnymk

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...e=nletter-news

NEW YORK — Stephen Lowrie has gotten the message to squeeze in exercise wherever he can. He parks far from the entrance, takes the stairs -- even lifts weights at his desk.

"I don't do all these things all the time every day,'' said Lowrie, 47, of Bedford, N.H.
"If I did I'd be in great shape.''

Perhaps. Lowrie's piecemeal fitness regimen is something that's been encouraged as even videotaped exercise routines shrink to mere minutes. But as enticing as such programs sound, getting into shape is generally going to take more than a session of 8-minute abs, said Jillian Michaels, a personal trainer on "The Biggest Loser.''

"Ten minutes?'' said Michaels. "Forget it. What are you going to burn? A hundred
calories. A pound is 3,500 calories. I'm so tired of sending Americans a false message. 'Hey just take the stairs.'''

The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association recommend for adults under age 65 a minimum of 30 minutes of moderately intense cardio (such as brisk walking) per day five days a week or 20 minutes of vigorously intense cardio (such as running) three days a week. Strength training should be done as part of the routine twice a week.

To lose weight or maintain weight loss, 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity may be
necessary, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Still, micro-workouts are everywhere, from Jorge Cruise's "8 Minutes in the Morning'' to Tracey Mallett's "Sexy in 6,'' a fitness program with six-minute workouts.

Studies show that breaking workouts into mini sessions is as effective as continuous workouts. And considering time is one of the biggest reasons people give for not exercising, the mini-sessions make sense.

"The key isn't really how long the duration or short,'' said Tamilee Webb, best known for "Buns & Abs of Steel.'' "It's the intensity and the consistency.''

Over the years, efficient exercises have shortened workouts, said Kathy Smith, whose "Tummy Trimmers'' DVD includes short ab workouts. For example, she said a squat with a bicep curl works more than one muscle.

The DVD method has also made it easier to package multiple workouts, said Denise Austin, who has more than 80 DVDs under her belt. People don't have to fast forward and rewind, she said. And the short workout means people can't make excuses.

"The nicest part about it is they are ready to do 10 but stay and do a little more,'' said
Austin, whose newest DVD Best Belly Fat-Blasters is a series of ab workouts. ""For 10 minutes I can do this.' The next week they can do 20 minutes and then they're on their way to a healthy habit.''

For Hiu Chung So, 26, of Arcadia, Calif., breaking up his workouts works. He does 10 minutes of weights in the morning and another 20 to 30 minutes of cardio in the evening.

"It makes it a lot less daunting compared to saying you need to do an hour of exercise,'' he said.

The American College of Sports Medicine doesn't recommend mini sessions shorter than 10 minutes. And David Kirsch, author of "The Ultimate New York Diet,'' questions how only 8 minutes in the morning is enough to increase the heart rate, tone the muscles and bring about an overall feeling of wellness.

Ten minutes toning a muscle is long enough, said Ben Quist, founder of Form and Fitness in Grafton, Wis. But for someone who wants to get in shape, 10 minutes three times a week is probably not going to produce the change people are hoping to see.

And once you look closely at those 10-minute routines, some do require more than you'd think. With Mallett's, the idea is to do more than one 6-minute session (three is ideal) plus cardio and change your diet. Austin herself said she does 30-minutes of straight cardio.

"10, 10, 10 is less than ideal,'' said Michaels. "You need a longer period of exercise to improve endurance.''

But any exercise is better than nothing.

Katie Feuer, 35, of Summit, N.J. said her 12-minute abs routine works. She has been doing Denise Austin's "Super Stomachs'' since high school and said when she stops, she gains weight.

"If I get lazy and haven't been working out, that's what I go back to,'' said Feuer, a
mother of two, who also runs and bikes. "Maybe it's the familiarity of it. I know what to expect. When it's only 12 minutes, that's not bad.''

Thesifer

Yeah, but "taking the stairs" isn't a bad idea. Obviously you should set aside a certain amount of time a day to workout, but if you take the stairs over the elevator, you're still "burning" that 100 calories instead of adding it to fat calories in the elevator.

100 Calories Burned from a 500 calorie sandwich = 400 calories instead of 500. Plus whatever you burn naturally and doing other things throughout the day.

But a good workout can not be substituted by "Taking the stairs" everyone should know that.

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VTGreg

100 extra calories burned each day for a year equates to loosing 10 lbs if everything else stays the same. These mini workouts shouldn't replace 30 minutes of cardio 3-5 times per week but can be very effective when used to strengthen weak areas or adding to your fitness regimine.

You still need to get cardio work in for a healthy heart.

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Jeffbx

Every little bit helps, but no one should fool themselves into thinking that mini-workouts will do anything significant.

EVERYONE (yes, even you) has time to do a proper workout - the problem is motivating yourself to atually do it.

But mini workouts can be a good way to at least get someone into a routine, and once they're used to it, hopefully they'll find themselves increasing the duration & not deading it.

Thesifer

But I already work out for an hour every other day minimum. Now you're telling ME I need to set aside more time?!

Cubsfan

20 minutes of doing intervals actually works pretty well.

The thing I always see that kills me is how low intensity some people workout. At the gym, I'll see people walking VERY slowly on a treadmill for an hour. In my experience, that doesn't work very well. If you're going to put aside the time to do cardio, make sure you're getting the most out of that time.

Prngr44

I always got into arguments with my mother who would ride her exercise bike for 30 minutes a night with ZERO resistance. Her excuse back then was "I'm trying to burn fat, not build muscle."

Ha!

She's now learned the error of her ways. (After YEARS of persistence on my parts.)

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Jeffbx

Well, I don't know if I'd classify an hour every other day as a 'mini-workout', as long as on your off days you're not putting away a large pepperoni, sausage & bacon pizza with extra cheese...

Thesifer

Humm not an entire one!

Generally I eat healthy. And I believe at 140 lbs, I'm not overweight.