Short, hard workouts might be the trick

WASHINGTON – Busy people can now check one excuse off the “why I can’t exercise list.” Having time is no longer an issue.

Bethesda-based nutrition expert Pamela Peeke says those who work out can get the same benefit from short bursts of intense exercise as from running 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

“You can actually get it done and move on with life. And that’s the biggest difference,” Peeke says.

Short bursts of exercise can be as good as longer walks or running sessions, Peeke says.

“You get precisely the same results as the guy whose taken the 30 minutes and done the usual, standard cardio,” Peeke says. And for folks with Type II diabetes, these short, intense workouts deliver results.

“Repeated 10 times, improved blood sugar regulation throughout the entire following day,” she says. The benefits have been recorded for heart patients too, Peeke added.

“Can you imagine if you did this on a routine basis?”

To give this brief, intense training a try, first get clearance from a doctor. Then push hard during the next workout – be it running or cycling.

What about Zumba?

“Are you kidding me? Have you seen some of those Zumba classes lately?,” she says of the shorter, high-cardio classes.

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