Do you like to watch thriller movies?

In the movie “The Silence of The Lambs” there’s a line from Anthony Hopkin’s immortal character stuck with me. It’s so simple, yet it was so scary at the time:

“Tick-tock, tick-tock…”

He was reminding Clarice Starling, the young FBI agent, that time was growing shorter. The sands were falling through the hourglass. Move fast, or there will be dire consequences.

Okay I admit it folks, I’m pulling a bit of a pre-Halloween scare on you. This is one of the few times when “time running down” is a really good thing.

The time I am referring to is exercise time. The time it takes you to get fit.

It seems that Washington cannot make up its mind these days doesn’t it? Exercise time requirements are no exception to the rule. But this time, they got it right.

A few weeks ago, the Department of Health and Human Services decided to put a final “this is really, really, it” stamp on the all-important question:

“How long must you work out each week in order to be fit and healthy?”

The results from a very diverse panel of experts reviewing a mountain of data was not surprising to me at all.

But it shocked millions.

“About two hours of exercise… a week.”

That’s right folks. I’ve been saying it for years. I wrote a book about it too… Super-Short Workout Plan <--- go here for details.

I suppose the message is getting out to the masses at long last. You only need 2 hours of exercise a day to be healthy and fit. For most of you long workouts would be counter-productive. Some can do it and really be healthy. Most cannot.

I cannot. I can tolerate only about four hours of hard exercise a week, and that is when I’m training for peak shape. That does not include my daily walks, which are more relaxing than “exercise” to me.

More about the study…

I’d like to think my latest book had a bit of an impact on these new findings. Several of the studies in my book were used in the report. Cool, eh? In the end the panel reversed the flawed findings of less than a few months prior that suggested 4-5 hours of exercise per week as “just about right.”

Oh, it gets better…

They found that two hours of exercise could even be shortened (gasp!) if the “exercise was of an intense nature.”

You know… like my 7 Minute Workout?

Yeah, like that.

Then they found the usual: This much exercise is sufficient to lower one’s blood pressure, risk of heart disease, reverse or help prevent Type 2 Diabetes, battle depression, increase bone strength, and even help prevent colon cancer.

Geepers. From two hours a week of exercise? Who would have thunk it? Oh…right. I thunk it. (grin, snicker…)

And get this about cardio: “Do it for 10 minutes at a time to be effective.” In short, you can do several shorter bouts rather than one long bout and still get all of the benefits. Just like my 9-minute cardio protocol in my book? Yes, that’s right. ( I am sounding like a broken record here, eh? : )

“The kind of exercise matters a lot,” said Dr. William Kraus, a Duke University cardiologist who co-authored the scientific report. Runners like Kraus can achieve the same health benefit in a fraction of the time of a walker.”

The walking reference was to casual walking and that being the only form of exercise one was doing. I would never recommend that. Anyway, Dr. Kraus goes on…

“If you do it more intense, you can do less time,” explained Kraus, who praised the guidelines for offering that flexibility. “This brings it back down to earth for a lot of people.” No joke. I took some flack from a few experts on my book due to the title and the super-short nature of the workouts. Turns to find out I may be on to something. Read my book for yourself. Better yet, do what it says. You’ll find the workouts very effective and a major stress reliever. During this time of challenge we need all the stress relief we can get.

Oh, as a side-note: Sleep was paramount to good health in this study and every other study on health. My workout plan helps you sleep like a baby due to the way we trigger some key hormones…. right around bedtime.

You can learn more about my Super-Short Workout Plan here!
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Jon Benson is a nutrition and fitness counselor and best-selling author. His latest book “7 Minute Muscle” documents the latest research on brevity training and how you can get more results in far less time in the gym. Read more at http://myworkout.notlong.com

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