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What Difference Can a 15 Minute Workout Make?

Several studies have shown that you don’t always have to break a sweat to see the benefits of exercise.

While national guidelines suggest 30 to 60 minutes of exercise per day, new studies have shown that short bouts of exercise will improve health dramatically. The largest benefits come from a small increase in physical activity: just a few hours of housework a week, a short walk every day or even playing a round of golf over the weekend can provide dramatic reductions in the risk for serious health problems.

Most people think they need to start jogging, join a gym, or start on the newest “fad” diet to improve their health. For decades medical associations have pushed for vigorous aerobic activity and athletic fitness. While those are admirable goals, they are also difficult to achieve and people often fall short and end up not exercising at all.

Today, doctors are attempting to undo the aerobic movement mentality. They have redefined the amount of exercise that is truly enough, and encourage people to achieve “health fitness” rather than athletic fitness.

Quick Fit Exercise Program Statistics

  • Moderate-Intensity exercise program
  • 105 minutes or 1.75 hours of weekly exercise
  • 10 minutes of daily cardiovascular exercise
  • Burns approximately 500 calories/week

A Little Activity Goes A Long Way

  • According to the DREW (Dose Exercise Response in Women) study, only 72 minutes of exercise per week had the most significant impact on one’s overall fitness level (The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2007)
  • It is recommended that individuals should engage in moderate physical activity for 30 minutes at least five days per week. Taking a brisk, 10-minute walk three times a day is an excellent way to meet this goal. However, even just taking one of these 10-minute walks each day can provide enormous health benefits (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2001)
  • Women who engaged in the equivalent of 1.25 to 2.5 hours per week of brisk walking had an 18 percent decreased risk of breast cancer compared with inactive women. (The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2003)
  • Spending only 60 to 90 minutes a week exercising reduces high blood pressure. (American Journal of Public Health, 2003)
  • Studies have shown that decreased rates of coronary heart disease and premature mortality begin to occur at even lower levels – perhaps at one to two hours per week of moderate-intensity leisure time activity. (The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2003)
  • Exercise accumulated in several short bouts has similar effects as one continuous bout with regard to aerobic fitness and weight loss during caloric restriction in overweight, young women. (Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2001)
  • Three 10-minute exercise bouts per day offered fitness benefits similar to those gained from one 30-minute session. (American Journal of Cardiology, 1990)
  • New exercisers are more likely to stick to a fitness regimen when it’s broken into ten-minute bouts. Study suggested that short bouts of exercise offered weight loss and fitness benefits comparable to those achieved in longer sessions. (The Journal of the American Medical Association, 1999)
  • Physicians should advise patients to be physically active to decrease their coronary heart disease risk. Physical activity does not have to be arduously long to be beneficial; even short sessions lasting 15 minutes appear to be helpful. (American Heart Association’s journal, Circulation, published a Harvard School of Public Health article, 2000)
  • A 1999 study of more than 800 residents of Kings County, Washington, showed dramatic health benefits among those who gardened or walked for just an hour a week. Although that adds up to only about 400 to 500 calories, the increased activity translated into about a 70% lower risk of dying from sudden cardiac arrest.
  • A 2004 report by Swedish researchers showed that older adults who exercised only once a week were 40% less likely to die during the 12-year study period than those who did nothing.
  • Burning between 500-1000 calories per week in exercise will reduce your risk of death by 27%. (Human Kinetics, 1996)

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