Exercise: So Little Time, So Many Benefits

The problem with exercise is that it requires so much time in order to reap any benefit from the exercise………WRONG! This is the common mindset of most Americans – what a misguided group we are. Most people are aware of some of the benefits of exercise but unfortunately these same people believe they do not have the time to exercise. The truth of the matter is not much time is required and everyone has the time IF exercise is a priority.

Research has found that people who consistently and regularly exercise an hour a week (spread out over 3 workouts per week) can achieve major health benefits. Some of these benefits include better weight management, decreased risk of diabetes, breast cancer, and osteoporosis, and less depression. Will an hour of exercise a week be enough for you to become an elite marathoner or appear on the cover of a muscle magazine? Absolutely not. But if you are looking to improve your overall health profile, it will help tremendously.

An hour a week – let’s put that in perspective. With 52 weeks in a year, that means we are shooting for 52 hours a year. There are 8,760 hours in a year. The typical American spends about 2,920 hours a year sleeping and another 547.5 hours a year eating. Fifty-two! You can do that – everyone can do that. So how do you come up with the time? Read on.

Our day is filled with time-consuming activities but with some planning, we can steal a little time from these activities. For example cut your newspaper reading back 5 minutes, get up 3 minutes earlier, take 3 minutes away from fah-fahing your hair in the morning, pack your lunch the night before (10 minutes), and give up 9 minutes of nonproductive time in front of a screen (TV or computer). There you have it, quick and easy - 30 “extra minutes” to exercise.

The good news is that the benefits of regular exercise are available to everyone….EVERYONE! Not everyone who “has time” – but rather everyone who “makes time.” If you are not reaping the benefits of exercise, don’t look any further than the mirror for a place to assign blame. Ouch! Sometimes the truth hurts.

Doug Booster