Unless, of course, somebody comes up with 6-Minute Abs.

February 26, 2019 7:51 AM

Until recently, most health authorities prescribed activity lasting for at least 10 continuous minutes, although there was no credible scientific evidence behind this. This recommendation was recently refuted by the 2018 US Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Report. The new guidelines state any movement matters for health, no matter how long it lasts. The benefits of high-intensity incidental physical activity (Emmanuel Stamatakis, co-author of Short and sporadic bouts in the 2018 US physical activity guidelines: is high-intensity incidental physical activity the new HIIT?, British Journal of Sports Medicine; via Quartz). You can experience the benefits of "high-intensity interval training" (BJSM) without needing to focus on exercising.
posted by filthy light thief (24 comments total)

From the Quartz article by Stamatakis:

HIIT is a hugely popular regimen involving repeated short sessions, from six seconds to four minutes, with rests from 30 seconds to four minutes in between.

Among a range of different regimens, we consistently see that any type of high-intensity interval training, irrespective of the number of repetitions, boosts fitness rapidly, and improves cardiovascular health and fitness.

That’s because when we regularly repeat even short bursts of strenuous exercise, we instruct our bodies to adapt (in other words, to get fitter) so we’re able to respond better to the physical demands of life (or the next time we exercise strenuously).

The same principle is at play with incidental physical activities. Even brief sessions of 20 seconds of stair-climbing (60 steps) repeated three times a day on three days per week over six weeks can lead to measurable improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness. This type of fitness indicates how well the lungs, heart, and circulatory systems are working, and the higher it is the lower the risk for future heart disease is.

In fact, research suggests physical activity intensity may be more important for the long-term health of middle-aged and older people than total duration.
...
Achievable for everyone
...
there are plenty of free and accessible ways to incorporate incidental physical activity into our routines, including:

• Replacing short car trips with fast walking, or cycling if it’s safe;
• Walking up the stairs at a fast pace instead of using the elevator;
• Leaving the car at the edge of the shopping center parking lot and carrying the shopping for 300 ft;
• Doing three or four “walking sprints” during longer stretches of walking by stepping up your pace for 300-600 ft (until you feel your heart rate is increasing and you find yourself out of breath to the point that you find it hard to speak);
• Vigorous walking at a pace of about 130-140 steps per minute;
• Looking for opportunities to walk uphill;
• Taking your dog to an off-leash area and jogging for 30-90 seconds alongside the pup.

This type of incidental activity can make it easier to achieve the recommended 30 minutes of physical activity a day. It can also help boost fitness and make strenuous activity feel easier—even for those of us who are the least fit.

posted by filthy light thief at 8:23 AM on February 26, 2019 [22 favorites]

This is great news. I'm a big believer in building activity into your daily routine in ways that don't require willpower, like having stairs or walking to work, etc. The more physical activity you do just as a matter of course (unlike, say, going to the gym) the better off you are.
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:57 AM on February 26, 2019 [6 favorites]

I have started using the Google Fit app, which measures two things: "move minutes," which counts basically any movement at all. Slowly walking to the fridge or sprinting while carrying dumbbells can count as the same move minute, without adjusting settings. And "heart points," which count more vigorous movement, including probably most or all of what's listed as "acheivable for everyone" above. It's really helped me to do things like take a couple of flights of stairs at work instead of taking the elevator, because I get to watch my numbers go up immediately.
posted by Cookiebastard at 8:58 AM on February 26, 2019

This is one of many reason I don't own a car.
posted by Automocar at 9:44 AM on February 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

A book with a seemingly pop exercisy title: The One-Minute Workout is quite techincal and based on the authors academic research. The title is actually based on one experiment with six ten second intense HIIT efforts with measurable changes in subjects metabolism.

What is is hard to fit in a headline is that the HIIT folks are not saying 'replace' but here's another great option. Walking, biking, jogging, swimming are all good.

I am personally becoming a walking evangelist, as a software guy let myself go and got the word... Has a pulled achilles for a while so was not walking fast, but everyday 20min, and the changes are fantastic. Now looking to add more HIIT *in addition* not to replace.
posted by sammyo at 10:02 AM on February 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

Great news everybody! Momentary increases in your heart rate due to sheer existential terror now count as 'working out'. #feelinth'burn
posted by Sing Or Swim at 10:03 AM on February 26, 2019 [23 favorites]

So this is proof the lifting soil/plants, digging to prepare beds, moving heavy pots around, weeding, and carrying a heavy watering can workout is good for me- whoo hoo!
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 10:43 AM on February 26, 2019 [5 favorites]

Nathan For You's moving business model has some research supporting it now! I've never become a regular gym goer because I never felt satisfaction in doing all that unproductive work. Spend 40 minutes on an exercise bike and it's not even like you were pedaling to power the display, AFAIK all that work just turns into waste heat and sweat. It's more satisfying and bearable doing exercise that has a point to it, something gets done, objects change locations, groceries move into car or house, a gate is lowered... just something should happen besides getting tired and sweaty.
posted by GoblinHoney at 10:51 AM on February 26, 2019 [3 favorites]

Speaking of incidental physical activity, I've come to realize this is a hidden benefit of infrastructure. Cities should have good transportation infrastructure because that's part of the point of cities -- to have multiple options for getting from point A to B, whether it's walking, biking, taking the bus or the train. But not having to rely on a car for everything can also contribute to a healthier populace.

During the 2 years that I lived in Miami recently my health took a noticeable hit. Unlike the previous places I'd lived, it was almost impossible to get just about anywhere without driving. And when it wasn't impossible it was often too dangerous to walk or bike because of the homicidal driving culture in Miami. As a result, I wasn't getting those minutes every day walking to and from the subway/metro station or bus stop. I wasn't taking the stairs to and from the train platform. I wasn't getting the occasional day of riding my bike to and from work. I wasn't walking or biking to do the shopping or even just for pleasure.

Now I'm back in a city where I do have those options and it's been really easy to see how that has improved my health in measurable ways. There are other, more important reasons to have good infrastructure, but the incidental activity of everyday life is definitely a valuable byproduct.
posted by theory at 11:38 AM on February 26, 2019 [4 favorites]

So I guess what I'm saying is there are exercise regimens with a similar profile for folks who want more structure - though I get that the point of this advice is that one can work it all into relatively normal daily activities.

Starting Strength, combined with some used weights and having the space to use them in my basement is what I had to do in order to stick with any kind of exercise program. It's simply the most efficient way for me to workout which makes it easier to keep up the routine.

While I think basically everyone who can do the Starting Strength program should, the best exercise program is the one you're most likely to stick with.

The strength training I do for my overall health but I am also trying to lose weight (or at least trade fat for muscle). That mostly comes down to eating less but ever since we brought our infant son home I haven't been taking the dog on her daily walk. She still gets plenty of exercise running around the yard but I've been struggling just to keep from gaining weight. I'm convinced that's the key so even though it's cold and snowing, I'm going to try and restart the habit this afternoon.

I've had to skip a few workouts after The Boy first went to daycare and came home with some awful colds the other children tend to share. I can't imagine what shape I'd be if I had completely fallen off that horse too.
posted by VTX at 11:43 AM on February 26, 2019

I have a big stainless steel tea pot. I used to use it daily. And you know how, "The watched pot never boils?" I have a workout routine that takes just that long, that has saved my life. I kid you not. And if I think I might try and weasel out of it, because it is cold in the morning, I do it in bed. Definitely aerobic, definitely low impact. The last thing I do is 100, in 5 sets of twenty, various old lady version, pushups. All of it is fueled with Kundalini yoga, breath of fire. So when the set is finished, upon arising in the morning, I am invigorated, wide awake, and happy at my physical state, and raring to make coffee. My blood pressure is typically 116/67 these days. This makes my heart happy! 🙋💖 I throw in a two or more mile walk in later in the day.
posted by Oyéah at 12:16 PM on February 26, 2019 [7 favorites]

Great post title, would read again.
posted by j_curiouser at 1:22 PM on February 26, 2019

While I'm certainly not opposed to this general idea, I want to point out that these exercise tips are always written by men. I've never met a woman who'd voluntarily park her car at the edge of a parking lot in order walk back to it with her arms full of bags. Or take the stairs when there's an elevator option.

So, achievable for everyone? Achievable for every man, maybe. Achievable for women, with adaptations. As always.
posted by BlahLaLa at 4:55 PM on February 26, 2019 [3 favorites]

I've never met a woman who'd voluntarily park her car at the edge of a parking lot in order walk back to it with her arms full of bags.

Hi*.

Though I do draw the line at stairs unless it's less than 3 flights.

*tbh i'm motivated more now that i've gamified that aspect through my fitness tracker
posted by cendawanita at 7:24 PM on February 26, 2019 [4 favorites]

I've never met a woman who'd voluntarily ... take the stairs when there's an elevator option.

In the building where I work, where there are no fewer than 8 elevators, I see women taking the stairs all the time.
posted by grumpybear69 at 7:39 PM on February 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

I’ve never met a woman who'd voluntarily ... take the stairs when there's an elevator option.
I don’t get that. Why haven’t you? Women take the stairs at my work all the time, as do I when it’s only a couple flights.
posted by peacheater at 7:53 PM on February 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

I regularly take the stairs, and I generally prefer not to waste my time looking for a parking spot close to the entrance of the shopping center: far away is fine.
posted by suelac at 10:34 PM on February 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

On reflection, is the statement being made as it relates to security and safety? Then ok, I can concede that. But in Malaysia, the two examples aren't alike at all, in that yes, there are now single-women-only/pregnant mothers/mothers with young children parking spots that are nearer mall entrances (due to a case of rape and murder in a high-end mall), but otoh, lifts are seen as danger zones.

if that's the unstated assumption, i apologize, but also i would say that's context-dependent.
posted by cendawanita at 11:00 PM on February 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

Yes, the context is personal safety.
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:53 AM on February 27, 2019

Yes, the context is personal safety.

Women getting harassed in an elevator is a common trope, so I'm not sure the evidence exists that elevators are safer than stairs. In my office, stairs vs elevator for women is pretty much 50/50 - ie: 50% of the people taking the stairs are women.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:39 AM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]

Before I became a work from home shut-in I worked at a university and made it a point to take the stairs everywhere. You could tell how recently the buildings were constructed by how easy it was to find the stairs compared to the elevators. It was near impossible to find the stairs in the newest building opened before I left there, where the bank of elevators was right inside the main entrance. As I recall it was 6 stories high.

It's kind of mind boggling how impactful some of these engineering choices are. What's the cost in increased health care expenditure of adding one more elevator?
posted by phearlez at 9:11 AM on February 27, 2019 [3 favorites]

A lot of this is infrastructure. In most modern American buildings, the stairs are poky, dark, and spit you out somewhere inconvenient. Whereas the elevators are central, large, cleaned regularly. You regularly see people taking the elevator one floor, because no one can find the damn stairs.

I had the opportunity a few years ago to spend a month working at a medical center in Grenoble, France. There, the stairs were wide, marble, had huge windows for natural light, and were located right next to the automatic espresso machine. The elevator was a tiny little thing off to the side, mainly used for transporting handcarts. I honestly don't know what they would do if someone was in a wheelchair or a stretcher -- it never came up during time I was there, but it seems like a big oversight for a medical center -- but the natural inclination was to take the gorgeous stairs, including for patients with varying degrees of mobility impairment.
posted by basalganglia at 10:45 AM on February 27, 2019 [2 favorites]

You regularly see people taking the elevator one floor, because no one can find the damn stairs.

At one of the buildings I worked in nearly every floor was secured. The stairs weren't hard to find but while you could get INTO the stairwell from any door, not all of them had a badge scanner to get back OUT.

"Taking the elevator just one floor is dumb, I'm taking the stairs." Turned into me climbing up three flights before going back down another five. I wasn't sure there would be a door with a badge scanner if I kept going up but I knew that at least the door on the ground floor would let me out. So now if I'm in that building I just take the elevator. Though now I'm thinking that if they get some complaints about it they might install scanners on every door, especially if I put it in terms of taking the stairs being healthier.
posted by VTX at 1:37 PM on February 27, 2019 [2 favorites]

I worked in one office building that had been built in the 90s to be green, healthy, and friendly. It was 6 stories tall. There was a grand entrance atrium with a grand sweeping staircase to take you one floor between the entrance door and the cafeteria. There was an attractive elevator bank on one side of the atrium. However, in order to find the staircase that would take you up to floor 6, you had to enter the small library on the same floor as the entrance, go to the very back, turn a corner, and look through the bookshelves for a completely unmarked door.

(The staircase was better-marked on the higher floors, which is how I found it — took the elevator up, then took the stairs down with great curiosity about where I would end up. Was fascinated when I was dumped out in the hidden back corner of the library.)
posted by snowmentality at 2:34 PM on February 28, 2019 [1 favorite]