The research results published in the American Journal of Physiology show that 30 minutes of strenuous exercise is enough to make the body sweat and change the body mass index (BMI). The researchers divided the subjects into two groups: one group completed 30 minutes of training (running, cycling and rowing) and the other group completed about one hour of training.
On average, men who exercise for 30 minutes a day lose 10 pounds in three months, while men who exercise for a whole hour only lose 5 pounds. Both groups lost about 4 kilograms, "Mads Rosenkilde, the lead author of the study, reported.
"Compared with our training plan for them, participants who exercise for 30 minutes every day burn more calories than they should." In fact, we can prove that exercising for an hour instead of half an hour will not bring any extra weight or fat loss. Compared with running, cycling or boating, people who exercise more consume less energy. Thirty minutes of intensive exercise can achieve the same good results, "Mads Rosenkilde added.
The amount of training is similar to that recommended by WHO.
For researchers, the difference (or no difference) between the two may be that exercising for 30 minutes is an achievable goal, which can encourage participants to do more physical activities. People who exercise for an hour are likely to eat more, so the effect of losing weight is not as good as expected.
"The participants in our study trained every day for three months. Rosengild said: "All training programs are designed to make the subjects sweat a little, but the subjects increase their intensity at least three times a week.
A large number of participants in the study belong to slightly overweight Danes, who want to change their lifestyle through physical exercise. During the study, researchers closely monitored them, with special emphasis on energy balance, insulin resistance and blood hormones.
To be clear, the research results show that the recommendation of the World Health Organization-at least 150 minutes of exercise per week-is a good starting point for improving many health-related aspects.