Don't Just Sit There, Do Something! Part 18 Just 10 Minutes

We're all busy people.  It's just a consequence of this tech-crazed world in which we live.  We're connected to the world 24/7 with our cell phones following us into the bathroom of all places.  How else can you explain the statistics that half those who bring a cell phone into the bathroom drop it into the toilet?  But I digress.  My point is that we appear to be running out of time.  At least that's the excuse many of us give when explaining & rationalizing why we don't exercise regularly, despite all the studies demonstrating the benefit of regular physical activity.

So I thought I'd point out a cross-sectional study published in last month's American Journal of Health Promotion in which the authors concluded that small bouts of exercise less than 10 minutes in duration led to benefits similar to those derived from exercising more than 10 minutes at a time.  Of note, the authors analyzed data from 6,321 participants of the National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) followed for 3 years.  

Bottom line, we don't have many excuses left not to exercise.  Even if we can't squeeze in a full hour of exercise, scattered bouts of less than 10 minutes each time throughout the day will suffice in helping us maintain our health.  So don't just sit there, do something!

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