Hmmm…. I have an opinion about almost everything, which those who know me will confirm, but this one has me a bit ambivalent. There are several schools of thought, all of which have merit. Choose the workout length that feels right to you!
The easy answer is found in medical guidelines, such as those from the American Medical Association and the Department of Health & Human Services. Those recommendations have not changed much in many years: 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week for adults plus strengthening exercises a couple of times a week. Depending on how much time you spend lifting weights or doing core body exercises, that works out to about 30 minutes a day. That’s what I chose when I started my daily exercise habit; it seemed like a decent commitment, but still doable. And that’s the minimum workout that I still do every single day nine years later.
Is that enough exercise to keep you aerobically fit and to maximize health benefits? Well, maybe or maybe not. The amount of exercise you need is tied to how sedentary the rest of your life is. If you are chained to your desk all day, you probably need more; one study suggests one hour of activity per eight hours of sitting. But if you are also chasing kids, working outdoors, or doing vigorous housework, 30 minutes a day is just the ticket.
But if you are pressed for time, there is solid evidence that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can substitute for a longer workout. Ten-minute workout sessions broken into intense workout and recovery periods can replicate the heart and blood sugar medical benefits of longer workouts. We can all find ten minutes a day in our busy lives.
Finally, consider whether shorter and easier workouts will best serve you while you are cementing your exercise habit. Getting an exercise habit stabilized is far more important, at least initially, than working out for a certain period of time. Habit guru Stephen Guise recommends a mini-habit that is “too small to fail.” I agree with his thought that smaller, shorter activities require less effort and become habitual more quickly. So if need be, make a promise that you will walk or cycle, for example, for just five minutes a day until it feels automatic.
The objective is to move around actively every single day of your life. When you have firmly cemented your exercise habit, you can start finessing your workouts to accomplish more specific goals. For now, you can start small. Don’t let perfect become the enemy of good!