Accumulated exercise is as effective as one continuous session

ISLAMABAD: If you’re looking for a way to fit exercise into your day but struggle to find a 30–45-minute block of time, consider mini workouts.

These shorter sessions take the place of one longer workout by breaking up a continuous routine into several smaller ones.

You may wonder whether multiple mini workouts are just as beneficial as one lone session, and the answer is: YES! Studies show you don’t have to get all your exercise at once for it to make a big difference in your life. Moving throughout the day is just as effective.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, adults should aim for a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic exercise weekly.

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The CDC also stresses the importance of strength training at least 2 days per week. These sessions should focus on total-body workouts targeting the major muscle groups.

To meet these guidelines, many people follow a fitness routine that includes one longer workout session per day. However, you can also break up a longer session into several mini workouts to achieve the same benefits and get the recommended number of minutes.

Multiple studies have shown that accumulating exercise in short bouts of at least 10 minutes of activity over the course of the day produces similar effects on a range of health-related outcomes, compared with performing the same exercise in one continuous bout.

Overall, they concluded that adults are likely to experience similar health benefits from accumulating shorter periods of activity throughout the day as they would performing a single bout of exercise.