Brief episodes of physical activity that exceed a certain level of intensity can have just as much of a positive effect on weight as the current recommendation of ten or more minutes at a time, according to a study released Wednesday.
"What we learned is that for preventing weight gain, the intensity of the activity matters more than the duration," said Jessie X. Fran, professor of family and consumer studies. "This new understanding is important because fewer than five percent of American adults today achieve the recommended level of physical activity in a week."
The study which was published in the American Journal of Health Promotion claimed that knowing that even short bouts of physical activity can add up to a positive effect is an encouraging message for promoting better health.
Currently, American's physical activity guidelines is to get at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, MVPA, a week, which can be accumulated in eight to ten minute periods. MVPA is defined as greater than 2,020 counts per minute measured with a tool called an accelerometer.
The study also showed that higher-intensity activity was associated with a lower risk of obesity, whether in bouts of fewer or greater than 10 minutes. This news may be especially important for women, who on average are less physically active than men. However, the study showed that neither men nor women reached the recommended 150-minute activity weekly.
Results showed that for women, each daily minute spent in higher-intensity short bouts was related to a decrease of .07 BMI. Results were also similar to men. For both, each daily minute of higher-intensity activity lowered the odds of obesity by five percent among women and two percent for men.
