Spending time with friends? 15 minutes fly by. Waiting in a long line? The same amount of time feels like hours. It’s the same with exercise. Some people enjoy a long, satisfying workout; others prefer the couch. But it isn’t simply a matter of laziness! A study published in Psychology of Sport and Exercise suggests that up to 37% of a person’s “response” to exercise may be determined by their genes. Some people are literally more willing to exercise than others.
Just a few minutes a day is enough to benefit your health!
A paper published in PLOS ONE compared the effects of a 45-minute jog with a short 10-minute workout that included just 1 minute of high-intensity sprinting. After 12 weeks, participants in both groups showed similar improvements in cardiovascular and metabolic health. “Short-duration, intense interval exercise improved cardiometabolic health indicators to the same extent as traditional endurance training in sedentary men, despite a fivefold lower exercise volume and time commitment,” the study concluded.
5 scientifically proven benefits of exercising for just 15 minutes a day!
1. Your brain gets smarter!
A study published in the journal Neuropsychologia found that spending 10–15 minutes on an exercise bike led to a 14% increase in cognitive performance!
In a research project published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a group of college students were asked to take a short walk for about 10 minutes or do another form of light exercise, such as yoga. They then completed a memory test and achieved better results than students who had not exercised.
2. It helps reduce cravings
A study published in the journal Appetite reported that just 15 minutes of exercise a day is all it takes to cut the consumption of sweets and chocolate in half!
3. Your mental health improves
Did you know that just 15 minutes of running—or an equivalent amount of moderate exercise—a day may reduce the risk of depression by as much as 26%? That was the finding of a study conducted at Harvard University!
Exercise also benefits people who are already struggling with depression. A study published in BioPsychoSocial Medicine concluded that 15 minutes on an exercise bike significantly lowered levels of the stress hormone cortisol among a group of people diagnosed with major depressive disorder.
4. You may live longer!
A study described in The Lancet followed more than 400,000 people. The results were encouraging! Compared with participants who did not exercise at all, those who exercised for an average of 90 minutes a week—or 15 minutes a day—had a 14% lower risk of death and a life expectancy that was 3 years longer. A study by the European Society of Cardiology involving 120,000 participants produced a similar result. It found that 15 minutes of exercise was enough to reduce the risk of death among older people by 22%.
5. You burn more calories
You don’t need to spend all day at the gym! Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise published a study showing that lifting weights for just under 15 minutes—about 11 minutes—3x a week produced a lasting increase in energy expenditure. Put simply, participants continued to burn calories and fat after lifting weights. Even more encouragingly, the study’s authors concluded that lifting weights for around 15 minutes a few days a week may help prevent obesity, even among people who otherwise lead largely sedentary lives.
Adding any kind of movement to your day is therefore incredibly worthwhile! Even if you’re short on time, a little extra intensity can deliver unique benefits for your health. The key is to stay consistent with your workouts and, if you fall off track, get right back on the wagon. Need help with that? Contact us, and we’ll support you on your journey, no matter when or where you train!
A challenge is starting on the FitQ platform in February to help you build exercise habits and improve your consistency. Estonia’s top trainers, Kristi Mölder and Kalev Ermits, have created an effective workout plan for you, with one 15–20-minute workout scheduled for each day.
Find out more—there’s still time to register: https://fitq.me/et/challenges/trennisobrad
