What is the minimum amount of time I can spend working out and still see results? I don't have time to spend five hours a week in the gym, and while I know there's no such thing as a quick fix, I'm hoping that a few hours a week will suffice.

answer

That's a good question. One of the most common gripes about exercise is that it takes too much time from our busy lives. The American College of Sports Medicine, the body that most countries recognise as the authority on fitness, recommends at least 20 minutes of cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise three times per week and resistance exercise and flexibility training (or stretching) a minimum of twice a week.

Start with 20-minute sessions of aerobic exercise. If you're already active (doing some exercise or participating in a sport more than twice a week), you'll need longer workouts of about 30 minutes to make a difference in your fitness level. The same is true if you're trying to lose weight. The more time spent exercising, the more calories you'll burn.

Walking is the easiest way to get cardiovascular exercise. Going rollerblading or cycling a couple of times a week is a great way to do some aerobic exercise and have fun at the same time.

You can do resistance training in 30 to 40 minutes if you stick to basic movements. Lunges and squats will recruit most of the major muscle groups of your lower body. Bench presses for your chest, lat pull-downs or one-arm dumbbell rows for your back, and overhead presses for your shoulders will take care of your upper-torso muscles. Curls and tricep extensions work for arms. If you perform eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise and do one or two sets of each, you'll get a full-body workout relatively quickly. Take your time and concentrate on your form. Make sure you get proper instruction if you are a novice so you get the most out of your exercises.

If you do 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week and two 45-minute weight-training sessions, you will satisfy the basic recommendations for frequency and duration of an exercise programme. That's only three hours per week. Not too much to ask, right? Of course, make time for stretching too.

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