Are short or long spurts of exercise best?
Is it possible to burn the same amount of calories in ten two-minute spurts of stationary cycling at 28km per hour as it is in one lot of 20 minutes of the same workout?
Raising your heart rate when exercising - even if it's for a brief amount of time - not only improves overall health but helps maximise calorie burn as well, says University of Florida exercise scientist Christopher Hass. 'We've been convinced by several studies that show quick fixes of fitness - ten minutes of daily strength training and ten minutes of cardiovascular exercise - can literally save your butt,' says Hass. 'New studies also show that even ten minutes of cardio every day can be effective in losing weight.'
When working on your bike for 20 minutes try doing 'interval training', where you vary the intensity of your pace, along these lines:
- two minutes easy at level three, three minutes slightly harder at level six
- two minutes easy at level four, two minutes hard at level seven
- two minutes easy at level three, three minutes very hard at level eight
- two minutes easier at level five, two minutes hard at level seven
- two minutes cool down at level three
This will burn about 200 calories. You should aim to do this workout at least three times a week to see real results.
Why not chat to other iVillagers about exercise on the Shaping Up message board. Take a look at some of the LIVE discussions happening now on the board:
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