In recent years, the rise of health consciousness has led to an increased focus on exercise.
Recently, there has been a lot of controversy about the optimal length of aerobic exercise. Some people believe that the body can only really get a workout if the duration of exercise is more than 30 minutes.
This view is not accurate. Aerobic exercise can have a positive impact on the body at any length of time, and even short bursts of exercise can provide health benefits.
What is Aerobics
First, let’s take a look at what aerobic exercise actually is.
Aerobic exercises are those that increase the heart rate and breathing rate, such as jogging, brisk walking, cycling and swimming. These exercises increase blood circulation and oxygen delivery to all organs and muscles in the body, thereby improving cardiorespiratory fitness and metabolic levels.
For a long time, it has been widely believed that only exercise lasting more than 30 minutes can effectively burn body fat.
However, scientific research has shown that a short period of aerobic exercise can also play a role in burning fat.
A study published in the European Journal of Obesity Research points out that high-intensity aerobic exercise lasting 10 minutes three times a week has a significant effect on reducing body fat and improving cardiovascular health.
This means that even if there aren’t large swaths of time to engage in exercise, people can still meet their health goals by spreading it out over different times of the day.
The length of aerobic exercise is not the only key factor; the intensity of the exercise and the fitness level of the individual are equally important.
A study published in the Journal of the National Academy of Sports Medicine suggests that short bursts of high-intensity exercise can provide similar health benefits to longer bursts of low-intensity exercise.
For example, performing 15 minutes of high-intensity interval training (e.g., sprint running) can enhance cardiorespiratory fitness and reduce body fat more effectively than 60 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (e.g., jogging).
Whether you exercise for a long time or for a short period of time, with the right frequency and intensity, you can improve your fitness level, burn energy and build muscle.
Is the effectiveness of cardio dependent on time
There are many other life examples that prove that the effects of aerobic exercise are not dependent on time.
Many office workers find it difficult to have more than 30 consecutive minutes to exercise due to their busy schedules. However, they can choose to walk to and from work every day, or take a brisk walk during lunch time.
These short bursts of exercise can also have great health benefits.
So regardless of the duration of exercise, as long as the frequency and intensity are moderate, aerobic exercise can promote cardiorespiratory fitness, improve metabolic levels and reduce body fat.
We should choose an aerobic exercise routine that suits us according to our personal time and fitness level, and stick to it in order to achieve healthy results.