Men's Health: The New Rules of Fitness

ByABC News
August 30, 2001, 8:49 AM

Aug. 31 -- A lot of men know just enough about the rules of fitness to be scared away from starting a workout routine.

That's why we prefer to do our rule-breaking in the gym, where it does the most good.

The latest coming from the physiology labs and exercise eggheads shows that you can make big gains with a relatively small investment of pain and time.

If the old rules have left you fat and tired, it's time for some new rules for a new you.

Change Your Body by Changing Speeds

Running faster for a minute, then going a little slower for a minute, can help you lose weight faster than moving at a steady pace, according to a 2001 study in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. After 10 weeks, those who changed speeds lost more weight, more fat and improved their thyroid function.

Gradually increase your running speed to one you think you can maintain for 20 minutes or so. Go slightly faster than that pace for a minute, then run a minute at a slightly slower speed. Continue for about 20 minutes, then cool down for five minutes.

Only 20 Minutes, Twice a Week?

That's all it takes for a major health upgrade, says Bert Jacobson, an exercise researcher at Oklahoma State University.

Jacobson examined the absentee records of 79,000 workers and found that those who did a little exercise had fewer sick days than inactive guys. And here's the really cool part: The twice-weekly exercisers saw the same health gains as those who worked out a lot more.

"You don't have to bust your butt to get benefits," Jacobson says.

If you're not exercising at all, schedule two brisk 20-minute walks a week, or four brisk 10-minute walks. You can achieve the same results with 10-minute chunks of exercise as you can with longer sessions. Just keep the total exercise time the same.

If You Hate to Jog, Don't

Despite the benefits of aerobic exercise, you can reach the same goals through weight lifting and a healthy diet, with a few added dividends: bigger, stronger muscles and bones, a faster metabolism, less fat.