I’ve just finished reading “Fast exercise” by Michael Mosley. It’s an introduction to the idea of high intensity training, that we can get substantial benefits from short periods of intense exercise, sometimes without even breaking a sweat. He cites research that shows that short periods of intense exercise can actually produce more benefits than longer periods of sustained exercise. I’m pleased to see that the ideas are generally similar to some of the aspects of the active buddy training programme – interval training, fartlek and key strength training exercises such as the plank. Based on the ideas in the book I think you could still get substantial benefit from a shorter training programme than the 3 hours a week that I recommended.
Fast exercise – the simple secret of high intensity training by Dr Michael Mosley
“Very brief exercise”
As GPs we talk about “very brief interventions” eg a way of briefly discussing smoking. How about this for “very brief exercise”…?
On days when you are really pushed for time why not try these ideas:
- Do as many pushups as you can in 2 minutes when you get up in the morning
- Run up the stairs at work
Physical Activity Infographic
Here’s a great visual summary of the Chief Medical Officer’s advice on exercise which really emphases the positive benefits:
You can also download it as a PDF here:
Source : Department of Health
Active Buddy Training 