Does Intermittent Exercises Bring Benefits To Health?

Doing intermittent exercise can bring health benefits comparable to a continuous workout. A body mass index (BMI) in excess of 25 carries a significant health risk. Under this category, more than half of adults in the US are overweight. To overcome obesity, lifestyle changes are often recommended, including exercise on a regular basis. But not many will follow the regimes diligently and soon would regain weight after some time.

Carrying out physical activities intermittently is favored among those who do not have much time to spare. It has been proven that exercises in short bouts combined with a proper diet has been effective for weight loss and adherence to the regime. It has also been found that when exercise equipments are made available, the tendency to make use of them is higher due to the easy accessibility.

To be effective, physical activities has to be carried out for a minimum of 150 minutes accumulated over a period of one week. When this is practiced regularly, improvements in health would be seen. Studies have shown that intermittent exercise regimes do provide health benefits such as weight loss.

A study compared the effectiveness of doing 30 minute exercises in variations, that is a continuous workout for 30 minutes; two sessions of 15 minutes each and three sessions of 10 minutes each. The participants went through similar exercise programs and were evaluated in terms of aerobic capacity, body composition and metabolic fitness. The results showed similar benefits in all groups in terms oh aerobic fitness and weight loss. This showed that doing exercise in one long bout or in several short sessions are equally effective and will bring similar benefits.

One of the ways to do intermittent exercise is to exercise right at home. This would be an ideal option for those considering to lose weight and finding it hard to find the time for longer durations of exercise. There are a number of simple exercises that you can do at home such as stair climbing, couch exercises and laundry lifting. To do crunch exercises, you do not need to go to the gym or expensive membership clubs. Simple workouts can produce those six-pack abs that you have always wanted. Dancing at home can burn a lot of fat and also fun to do. Get a dance dvd and enjoy the music you like and burn those extra calories away.

Doing intermittent exercises has been found to be an effective  option and may be considered for long term strategies towards achieving an ideal body weight, metabolic fitness and a healthy life.