What is Your Excuse to Not Exercise for Two Minutes a Day?

In the race to winnow down the amount of high intensity you actually have to do to get a good workout, a new study is the new winner.

Yes, researchers are now saying all you need is TWO minutes of exercise each day.

This paring down the time of daily exercise seems to just get more and more ridiculous – at some point we’ll be told that just running up a flight of stairs is enough for the day. But a new study of the impact of short workouts looks pretty legit. And it all has to do with mitochondria.

Exercise produces these energy centers called mitochondria and that is one reason why physical activity is so good for us. But exercise also alters the mitochondria in ways that are really what you’re looking for in a good workout. And many people think you need at least 30 minutes to generate these changes in mitochondria.

This study, though, found that as little as two minutes was able to produce these kinds of positive results, according to this article:

The researchers found that levels of hydrogen peroxide–a type of molecule involved in cell signaling called “reactive oxygen species” that contains oxygen and hydrogen–in different parts of the mitochondria change after exercise.

While too much reactive oxygen species can be damaging to the cells, the researchers noted that the volunteers’ levels were an appropriate amount to potentially promote cell responses that benefit metabolic function rather than cause damage.

And yes, it only took two minutes.

Of course, this is just one very small benefit from two minutes of exercise. Yes, this can mean very good things for you, but that doesn’t mean two minutes every day is enough to make you fit, even if it’s high intensity. So keep aiming for longer workouts (our trainers can suggest some of the best ways to do shorter, more intense activities), but if you truly, honestly don’t have the time to exercise, then we’re sure you can at least find 120 seconds.

-Shane M.