QN: HIIT: Is there a shortcut to exercise?

We all know that exercise is good for us, but often struggle to do the 150 minutes of moderate level activity a week that's recommended. So what's the alternative, asks Michael Mosley.

A few years ago, while making a Horizon documentary called The Truth about Exercise I was introduced to something which changed my life - HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training. Typically you do a few very short bursts of intense cycling on an exercise bike, with brief recovery periods.

The promise of HIIT is that you will get maximum benefit in minimum time - and that is certainly what I have found. But how well does it compare to other forms of exercise? With the help of researchers from Nottingham University we decided to find out.

We started by recruiting a group of 24 volunteers, aged between 40 and 60, who all have jobs and lifestyles that are best described as "pretty sedentary". We then divided them into four groups.

Comments

Watch Valentine's Day Special | Best of Arijit Singh | Romantic Songs 2016 | VIDEO

Philippines: Bomb attack on Davao market kills 12 OH

At least 12 people have been killed in a bomb attack in the home city of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Dozens more were wounded in the explosion at a packed market in the southern city of Davao. A presidential spokesman said investigators had found shrapnel from a mortar-based improvised explosive device (IED) at the scene. Police in the capital Manila are on high alert following the deadly blast. At least 60 people were injured and 30 were taken to hospital. Philippines war on drugs Rodrigo Duterte sworn in as Philippines president The explosion took place outside the Marco Polo hotel in an area frequently visited by Mr Duterte, who was in Davao at the time but was not hurt. Pictures released show broken glass and plastic chairs scattered at the scene, which has since been cordoned off by police bomb experts and investigators. Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, the president's eldest son, issued a statement on Facebook in which he said it was too s...

World heading for catastrophe over natural disasters, risk expert warns

The world’s failure to prepare for natural disasters will have “inconceivably bad” consequences as climate change fuels a huge increase in catastrophic droughts and floods and the humanitarian crises that follow, the UN’s head of disaster planning has warned. Last year, earthquakes, floods, heatwaves and landslides left 22,773 people dead, affected 98.6 million others and caused $66.5bn (£47bn) of economic damage(pdf). Yet the international community spends less than half of one per cent of the global aid budget on mitigating the risks posed by such hazards.

Haso-Design Studio

Search This Blog