Can You Get Fit in Six Minutes a Week?
Interesting concept that has been explored in depth on Marks Daily Apple and by Bill and Shawn Phillips. Well - Tara Parker-Pope on Health June 24, 2009, 12:26 pm Can You Get Fit in Six Minutes a Week? By Gretchen Reynolds Phys Ed Getty Images A few years ago, researchers at the National Institute of Health and Nutrition in Japan put rats through a series of swim tests with surprising results. They had one group of rodents paddle in a small pool for six hours, this long workout broken into two sessions of three hours each. A second group of rats were made to stroke furiously through short, intense bouts of swimming, while carrying ballast to increase their workload. After 20 seconds, the weighted rats were scooped out of the water and allowed to rest for 10 seconds, before being placed back in the pool for another 20 seconds of exertion. The scientists had the rats repeat these brief, strenuous swims 14 times, for a total of about four-and-a-half minutes of swimming. Afterward, the re...