Really good news for those who don't have the time or desire to exercise!
Research in Exercise labs in the UK and North America have found that people only need 3 minutes of exercise per week to improve 2 important measures of health; the VO2 max and insulin sensitivity.
VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen that the body can use at the highest exertion of exercise. It is measured in milliliters of oxygen used in one minute per kilogram body weight and is considered to be the gold standard measurement for aerobic and cardiorespiratory fitness.
Insulin sensitivity is a test to determine how quickly the body can eliminate sugars from the blood. A decreased ability to eliminate sugars from the blood is caused insulin resistance and can lead to Type II diabetes.
The exercise is called High Intensity Training (HIT) it is broken down into 3 bouts of 20 seconds of max exercise with a period of rest in between, and performed 3 times a week.
Labs in the UK, US and Canada have shown that performing HIT has the same cardiovascular benefits as 3 hours of exercise per week.
Studies found that improvements in insulin sensitivity can be documented in as little as 2 weeks and improvements in VO2 max occurred in 6-8 weeks.
The hypothesis is that maximum exercise for only 60 per session breaks down glycogen stores in the muscle and tricks muscle into thinking that it needs to get more glucose from blood. Additionally maximum exertion of exercise recruits 70 % of muscles versus moderate walking or jogging which recruits 20-30%.
For obvious reasons a person should obtain clearance from their doctor before performing this type of exercise.
This information was featured in a fascinating documentary called "The truth about exercise with Michael Mosley", clips of the show can be seen on http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01cywtq
