Kristi King, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – People don’t have to put in long sessions at the gym to reap the health benefits of being active.
Researchers from Oregon State University compared the health of people exercising for long, structured periods with people participating in physical activity multiple times throughout the day for ten minutes or less.
The findings show that each group had comparable cholesterol, C-reactive protein and blood pressure.
The study analyzed data on more than 6,000 people, who agreed to wear an accelerometer to measure their movements for 10 or more hours per day.
The study’s co-author tells Live Science that 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there truly can make a difference in a person’s health.
Those 10 minutes can include everyday activities such as lugging laundry up stairs or walking to the bus.
The study also notes that the people who exercise in short bursts are 30 percent more likely than the longer exercisers to get the amount of activity recommended by federal guidelines.
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