Can you really get fit by doing just three minutes exercise each week?

6th March 2012

The short answer is: ‘No!’ When Dr. Michael Mosley presented BBC’s Horizon programme: ‘The Truth About Exercise’ recently, he explained that short bursts of High Intensity Training (HIT) could lead to specific health improvements – in particular aerobic fitness and the bodies’ sensitivity to insulin. The headline ‘Fit in Three Minutes’ was picked up by the media but, in reality, after a month of HIT, whilst Dr Mosley did significantly reduce his chances of developing Type 2 diabetes he did not improve his aerobic fitness at all. Furthermore, HIT, unlike traditional exercise, is only suited to some individuals and is highly unlikely to lead to other benefits such as weight loss.
In short, the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines, which were reviewed in July last year after a comprehensive study of all the available scientific research, recommend that adults aged 19-64 should do AT LEAST 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity OR 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity every week, PLUS muscle strengthening activities on two or more days per week. If you go beyond these, you will gain even more health benefits.
See you in the gym!