You might have seen various recommendations for getting at least 20 minutes of daily exercise. I’ve even seen it stated as the optimal amount, so I followed it for years!
Recently, I learned through various sources I deem very reliable (Greger, Crowley, and others) that 20 minutes is not nearly enough. This so-called “official” recommendation of 20 minutes was based on what government officials thought the general population might do and not what was best. The rationale was that if it was higher, the public would likely not do anything. That may be true, but who wants mediocre health? Not me.
My current understanding is that 40-45 minutes of daily exercise is optimal and needed for excellent health. When I learned of this, I knew that doing 45 minutes of exercise at 5 a.m. would not work for me. So I broke it up, which was easy since I already exercised twice daily. All I needed to do was add a third session. I read somewhere that breaking it up like this was fine. It has worked out well for me.
Here is my daily exercise routine. I’ll share the advantages next.
- 5 am – 24 minutes on mini elliptical (article – review). (6 minutes in each direction X 2)
- 11 am – 12 minutes free weights or abdominal exercises (article). (alternate days)
- I do these exercises rapidly to create aerobic conditions.
- 3 pm – 12 minutes on mini elliptical. (6 minutes in each direction)
- Sometimes, I do an extra session if I need a boost.
Here are the advantages of multi-session daily exercise.
- I end up doing 48 minutes of daily exercise.
- It keeps my metabolism revved up throughout the day.
- It keeps my energy and mood revved up throughout the day.
- It is especially helpful in the late afternoon.
- Zero overwhelm by not pushing to do everything in one session.
I understand that working at home as I do makes this easier. But I can imagine figuring it out even if I were employed at almost any job.
Play with it to see if this exercise style is a fit for you. What’s important is doing it, not how or when.
To your health and fitness,