Boost Your Metabolism in 3 Minutes

Exercising regularly has many benefits, including lowering the risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, but many people feel they don’t have the time to follow the guidelines for physical activity. But new research shows you can cut your risk of diabetes by doing an intense 3-minute exercise session every couple of days.

A team of researchers from Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh in Scotland investigating the effect of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on metabolism found that a regular high-intensity, 3-minute workout has a significant effect on the body’s ability to process sugars.

In the study, 16 sedentary male participants used exercise bikes to perform a quick sprint at their highest possible intensity.

"What we have found is that doing a few intense muscle exercises, each lasting only about 30 seconds, dramatically improves your metabolism in just two weeks," Professor James Timmons explains.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommend adults accumulate at least 30 minutes a day of moderate–intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days per week.

But Timmons suggests that a lack of compliance to these exercise guidelines points to the need for an alternative.

"The low-volume, high-intensity training utilized in our study substantially improved both insulin action and glucose clearance in otherwise sedentary young males," Timmons adds. "This indicates that we do not yet fully appreciate the traditional connection between exercise and diabetes."

Ideally, you should perform moderate to vigorous aerobic and resistance exercise for several hours per week. But if you can’t make the time, this study shows there is an alternative.

Drill Coach’s Mini Shuttle Run + Push-Up Workout, for example, is a perfect short, high-intensity workout.

And if you’re already getting your 30 minutes of exercise in every day, remember to periodize your cardio (Periodized Cardio: Quality vs. Quantity) and devote at least one aerobic workout a week to high-intensity interval training.

Why does this matter to you? If finding time to exercise is a challenge, this approach makes it easier for you to lead a healthier life. Your health can actually benefit from doing a 3-minute session of highly vigorous activity a few days per week. No more excuses!