As I was researching my feature piece about starting an exercise program, I deliberately avoided including any guidance about a daily or weekly time commitment, because the activity you pursue -- along with the amount of interest you actually have -- will dictate the amount of time you make for it.
If you've been complaining about how much the outside world has sapped all the free time you have to pursue anything resembling regular exercise for far too long, stop it! You have no more excuses, according to a Canadian study promoting the benefits of short-term, high-intensity interval training (HIT).
Following a short exercise regimen of 8-12 one-minute sprints on a standard stationary bike spaced apart by 75-second rest periods three days a week may be just as effective in improving muscle mass as devoting many more hours on that same bike at a more leisurely pace.
Over the course of the two-week study, patients using HIT exercised for almost 2.5 hours. To achieve the same results via conventional training at a more continuous, moderate pace, patients would need at least four times as much exercise, or more than 10 hours.
Just a reminder, getting exercise is good for everyone, including chemo patients.
The Journal of Physiology, Vol. 588, No. 6, pp. 1011-1022, March 15, 2010 Free Full Text Study
The Independent March 15, 2010
EurekAlert March 12, 2010
Los Angeles Times March 12, 2010