So how much exercise is required, anyway?

You want to start exercising. Well, you know you should. You know it's good for you. There are a lot of benefits. It's just so . . . daunting . . . . Where to even start? Should I get a gym membership? Which gym is right for me? Should I get a trainer? How do I convey just wanting to get some general health benefits to this over-zealous, jacked individual expecting me to sign up for the next marathon? I don't even have time for this. Maybe I should just get some home equipment. If it's staring me in the face, I'll use it, won't I? Or will my laundry make the most use of it? Where will I even put it? Ugh . . . .

Okay, let's take a step back.

Yep, our lives are busy and often over-whelming at the best of times. But what if you can get some general health benefits with 80 seconds of investment in a week?

This is where excuse-ville dies. I don't care how busy you are. YOU HAVE 80 SECONDS!!!

I'll tell you how first, then explain how this was determined.

Perform 20 seconds of intense exercise.

You pick: sprint, stationary bike, burpees - whatever you like. But it has to be intense! But so what? It's only 20 seconds!

Test yourself: How many burpees can you do in 20 seconds? (Turns out, I can do 9. I do 10 just to round up.)

Rest for 3 minutes.

Repeat another 20 seconds of intense exercise.

And you're done for today.

Do this 2 times a week. Voila! 80 seconds.

So how does this improve your health?

Clinical studies were done on Olympic and College sprinters. They studied how many sprints were required for optimal performance.

They had them do 20 second sprints 8 times. They measured all the parameters of health, fitness and performance.

What they found was that 80% of the benefits from this exercise were exhibited after the first 2 sprints. All the other benefits after that were miniscule. Now if you are training for an event where a fraction of a second is the difference between gold and silver, train accordingly, of course.

But if you're wanting some basic health benefits in your life with the greatest bang for your buck - do this.

*** Of course, this is for the average person who is relatively healthy with no health concerns. Consult with your health care team if you do in fact have any concerns or questions before moving forward.