“Short bursts of less than 10 minutes of higher-intensity physical activity reduce the risk of obesity, finds a new study in the American Journal of Health Promotion,” reports the Health Behavior News Service, part of the Center for Advancing Health.

Jennifer Gay, Ph.D., assistant professor of health promotion and behavior at the University of Georgia explained that the guidelines setting a 10-minute minimum for an exercise session to “count” had been chosen because 10-minute bouts represent the point at which the body starts to experience benefits to the heart and lungs. This new study, she said, focused on the impact of short-versus-long bouts of activity on people’s weight, which reflects how many calories they burn compared to the number they consume.  Gay noted that, “both cardiorespiratory health and energy expenditure can contribute to reductions in disease risk.’

Read the entire article on the Health Behavior News Service website.

Posted September 5, 2013.