No more exercises in futility

If you are like me, then the Christmas season is filled with eating unhealthy but absolutely delicious food. So over the course of the long Filipino Christmas holiday, we gain a few pounds. And then come the New Year, we resolve to take care of our health, eat better and work out more. Sounds familiar?

Well, if it does, then my take on all of this is just a bit different — sure I want to be healthier and eat better but to get more fit, I’ve decided to work out not more, but less. Counterintuitive? You bet. But the latest scientific evidence shows that short, intense workouts can be far more effective in the long run.

The reason for this is time and our lack of it. We are all so busy with work, family, social obligations, and the generally frenetic pace of modern life that we have little time for exercise. Yet despite this time-deficit reality, some people will start their year by resolving to do a hardcore weight, running or aerobic regimen of an hour a day, four or five times a week. At the start of the regimen, the results are great and these long workouts will definitely produce results. However, once the responsibilities and duties start colliding with this workout routine, then these people end up stopping their workouts, cold turkey, and whatever results they got for the few weeks they were on it are lost in the space of a month.

In fact, according to a US study, the majority of people give up on their workout regimens within one month. I think a large reason for that is that the commitment necessary to do these long workouts, in terms of time and effort, are unreasonable for most people. Actors, athletes, and others whose job is to look good can — and do — put in the requisite time and perspiration necessary to achieve picture-perfect bodies. But for ordinary mortals like you and me, we don’t have the time, resources, or sometimes even the motivation for it.

So how do you resolve this workout dilemma?

Well, the answer involves two things — first, working out has to become a priority and, second, you have to learn to train smart instead of training long.

A big part of why most people don’t get to exercise regularly is that they don’t incorporate fitness into their daily routine. You set aside time for your morning paper (Philippine STAR, preferably) or to check on your Facebook account but you can’t even set aside a few minutes for a workout. The key word is “incorporation,” specifically making some form of exercise an integral part of your everyday routine. Put another way, it is time for us to see exercise not as some special endeavor or some outside activity that we do when we want to shed a few pounds but rather to see it as something absolutely necessary and part and parcel of our regular routine. So exercise isn’t something special or extraordinary but just as much an ordinary aspect of your schedule, just like shaving or showering would be.

This leads me to the second — perhaps more important — point that workouts don’t have to be long to be effective. Again, according to a US Study, you can improve your strength, in fact even double your strength levels, lower your body fat, and increase your fitness level on a mere 15-minute daily schedule, three times a week. Moreover, those who did the prescribed 15-minute-a-day workout were able to stick with the regimen far longer than those who did longer routines. I grew up in the ‘70s and ‘80s, the heyday of running, aerobics and bodybuilding, when the concept seemed to be the longer you trained, the better. Sure, for athletes and professionals that may be the case, but for an ordinary Joe like me, who has multiple jobs and is a husband and dad to boot, I can’t fit a whole hour of exercise regularly into my day. But with a 15-minute circuit (I got mine from a Muscle and Fitness book) you can have decent results from exercising and I’ve been able to incorporate it into my busy schedule.

In fact, can you believe that there is an effective four-minute workout? I learned this from Coach Jim Saret, who was the trainer of the contestants in the Philippine edition of The Biggest Loser — do a whole circuit of 10 repetitions each of jumping jacks, squats, push-ups and leg lunges (alternating) for four minutes non-stop. It may sound easy but done at the proper pace, it’s tough and effective. Of course, you should consult your doctor prior to doing any exercise routine but what this four-minute workout does is basically eliminate any excuse that you don’t have enough time for exercise. Skip four minutes from Facebook. Take a break from Angry Birds. There is always four minutes that we can borrow from our day, right? And get this” according to Coach Jim, this four-minute workout can help you burn, by increasing your metabolism, up to 600 calories, which is well above the caloric burn of even 45 minutes of a treadmill workout.

Now don’t get carried away, though: these 15- and four-minute workouts will not give you rock-hard abs or a Mr. Universe physique. But they will increase your strength and fitness levels and burn calories. This, too, is important, that we lower our expectations when we decided to incorporate realistic and timesaving workouts into our daily lives. Honestly, if you want a matinee idol’s body, then you’ll have to do a heck of a lot more than 15 minutes. However, if all you want is to be relatively fit, enough to have a decent-sized belly, which you can tuck into your shirt without embarrassment, then 15 and four minutes a day will be enough. Naturally, watching what you eat is equally vital. Even if you work out an hour day, if you eat like a sumo wrestler, then you’ll be fit but look like a sumo wrestler.

Finally, my message here is fundamental: the best way to attack any problem, like losing weight or getting fit, is by being smart and scientific about it. In the past, my method of trying to be fit was in the “more is better” mode. But as you get older and your free time lessens with other responsibilities, then since you can’t do more workouts, you will have to do smarter, shorter but more intense and better workouts. In the end, it is all about taking care of yourself and giving priority to your health. Just having that positive mindset of wanting to be healthy and strong will be a great first step on your path to fitness.