Walking is really in its heyday right now, because everyone wants to get out of the house. But if you actually WANT to spend 99% of your time on the sofa, this might be exciting news . . .
A new study just came out in the journal "Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise". And it found that you might be able to counteract all the sitting you do by working out for FOUR SECONDS at a time.
Researchers wanted to know if super-short bursts of intense exercise did any good. So they made people sit for six hours straight, then put them on a stationary bike.
They made them peddle as hard as they could for four seconds . . . followed by a 45-second break . . . and they repeated that process five times.
Each person did it once an hour, for eight hours throughout the day. Which might sound like a lot. But all total, that's only 2 minutes and 40 seconds of actual exercise a day. And it made a significant difference in their health within 24 hours.
When doctors tested their blood the next day, their triglycerides were 30% lower than the day before. And their metabolism had jumped, so they were burning more calories even when they were doing nothing.
The study used bikes, but any sort of high-intensity exercise could work. Even a few sets of jumping jacks once an hour could make a big difference.
(DNYUZ) Image © 2020 Getty Images