I read in my mom's Fitness magazine, that people should be moving 15 minutes for every hour, because most people are too stationary. So, I was wondering, would exercising for 15 minutes every hour that you are awake, result in a lot of calories burned? Or would it not work as good, because you aren't exercising continually for more than 15 minutes at a time? I hope that isn't confusing. lol.

I've heard that exercise is cumulative and that 3 10 minute bouts of exercise is the same as a 30 minute workout. I don't know if it's better to work out continuously but for someone who isn't very active anyway it's definitely better than nothing.

Although I like to workout for at least a good half hour to get a good sweat on, bouts of 10 to 15 minutes of workouts are very good too... So whatever works, if those 15 minutes every hour makes you move more throughout the day rather than being sedentary then by all means that's a good thing...

in the short term it would burn the same calories, but if you did continuous exercise instead of short bursts over a period of weeks or months, then your lung capacity would improve and maybe your muscles too which would then change your metabolism to a faster rate (maybe? - i'm making this up as i go along!!)

I like it in theory, but in practice, three hours of exercise a day (for those who sleep an average eight hours) is a lot to fit in, even in smaller increments. Still, it's a good figure to keep in mind--sort of a Platonic ideal for which I should be striving, or something.

As for whether smaller units of exercise time are the same as bigger ones, I suspect not. I've got to be doing something different with a continuous half-hour of biking that leaves me sweating and shaky-kneed versus three ten-minute sessions that just make me breathe a little harder. On the other hand, I've been wrong about needing to feel the pain before I think something's working--that's why I used to deprive myself on diets.

One thing is absolutely true: whether it's two minutes at a time or ten minutes at a time or all at once, just getting up and moving is definitely better than putting down roots.

Studies have definitely shown that smaller increments of exercise are very effective for people trying to get into shape.
Its also better than not moving at all. I think the article was probably talking about just being mobile for 15 minutes an hour, since working out every hour is just not logical. I know I've read articles saying that people who work desk jobs should get up every hour to talk a little walk or go up or down stairs to use the bathroom.
For someone who is already in shape and just maintaining their fitness level, its best to workout continuously instead of a little at a time for full benefits.
I agree though, that people don't move enough. I definitely didnt used to be so mobile. Now I love when I find the stairs in a building so I dont have to take the elevator or I'll walk up the escalator. Every little bit helps I think

Notice the magazine said "moving" I don't think it necessarily means exercise.Moving means get off the couch, get out of the rercliner. Take the stairs instead of the elevator , Park farther away when you need to park in a parking lot, when I go to the supermarket I park way out in the boonies, if I want to go home I must walk back. I didn't read the article but suspect it means to get away from the sedentary lifestyle. Formal exercise is good , too, but we can get in a lot of exercise in our narmal routine,

I like the idea of doing this, but 15 minutes per hour seems a little much for me to fit in... I think I could manage 5 or 10, though... maybe I'll try it today & see how it goes... starting right now!..

hugs

Threadjack:

Aunt Sheshie, love your user name! My nephew couldn't pronounce my name so he started calling me Aunt She-She. Of course, not so cute now that he's 10.

/Threadjack!

Thanks!.. my real name is Leslie, but I got the nickname Sheshie when my younger brother started talking & couldn't pronounce my name... my parents called me that off & on all during my childhood... now the only ones who call me that are my niece & her kids... I'm Aunt Sheshie to them... I love it!..

As for moving a few minutes every hour, I've been doing pretty good by setting my timer... I'm skipping this hour because of lunch, but will continue next hour... so far, so good, but can I keep this up day after day?.. it does take a considerable amount of concentration...

hugs

Most of us get our fitness information from popular rather than scientific sources. The problem is that popular sources often distort the message (because people want easy answers to complicated questions).

For example, when some studies found that aerobic exercise had some benefits over resistance/weight training for weight loss, the popular magazines and other media started suggesting (or outright stating) that "for weight loss, do all aerobic exercise and no resistance training."

When some studies found that sustained aerobic exercise had some benefits that the same amount broken into smaller increments did not, the popular media started suggesting or stating that "if you can't do x, y, or z minutes of aerobic exercise, your workout is pointless."

When some studies found that 30 minutes of exercise broken up into 5 or 10 minute increments had some of the same benefits as 30 minutes of the sustained exercise, media started reporting that breaking exercise into small increments was "just as good," (seeming to forget the science that found that sustained exercise had SOME benefits over incremental exercise).


It can seem confusing, because everyone seems to have different advice. But that's because we've been trying to condense complicated information into simple answers, and when you do that, the simple answer is as wrong as it is right.

If you want the complicated information, you've got to study. If you want a quick and easy answer, you've got to realize that it may not be the best answer and you'll just have to be ok with that (or start studying).

[QUOTE=Aunt Sheshie;3694760 so far, so good, but can I keep this up day after day?.. it does take a considerable amount of concentration...
:[/QUOTE]

nice work!
Let us know how you go!

It would be interesting if you are able to fit in even just another 20mins of exercise a day this way.

Every hour is certainly excessive (unless you work at home or something and can just break off what you're doing regularly), but it should be possible even at work to run up and down the stairs for 5 mins a couple of times a day. Hmmm. You've got me thinking now....

I just did my last 5 minutes of scheduled moving for today... altogether, I did probably 50 extra minutes of activity, even though some of it was only walking around the house or outside in the yard... I do feel good about it, but will I do it again tomorrow?.. I doubt it... it was pretty easy, but did cause a little disruption at times... I have to admit it was fun trying something new, though...

So, thank you, Serval87, for starting this thread!.. even if I don't continue to structure this more-moving method into my day, I think I'll be more aware of how much or how little I'm getting in regular activity...

hugs

Glad I could help, Aunt Sheshie!

I don't have very good endurance or stamina, so I thought with this way I could still exercise and not feel so tired. Honestly. though, I haven't started it yet. lol. But it's been in the back of my mind for some time.

I highly recommend the book Move a Little, Lose a lot by obesity researcher Dr. James Levine. He's the guy that invented the treadmill desk, if you've heard of that. It's a really interesting book about how sedentary we are and that it doesn't take much to burn many more calories a day.

I haven't been able to get back into regular exercise for years, but this book inspired me to just start moving as much as possible, not to worry about getting 30 minutes of cardio at my target heart rate.

What really stood out to me when I read this book is that when sitting we burn 5 calories an hour. Standing burns 15. And walking at 1 mile an hour burns 100 calories an hour. All that extra walking can really add up.