The Turtle Beats the Hare

by Cheng-Ling Chen — December 19, 2007

We all know that exercise is key for staying healthy. The hard part is finding time for it in our daily schedule. But here's the thing: You don't have to engage in an intense workout to call it exercise. What's more, physical activity doesn't have to be done all in one sitting. Scientists now say that moderate activities for shorter amounts of time spread throughout the day can offer the same health benefits as intense workouts. What is recommended is that your physical activities accumulate to 30 minutes on most days of the week.

You'd be surprised to know how many things you may already do in a regular day or that you could easily add that count as exercise. Check out the range of activities recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Less vigorous, more time:

• gardening for 30-45 minutes
• bicycling 5 miles in 30 minutes
• dancing for 30 minutes
• pushing a stroller 1 1/2 miles in 30 minutes
• raking leaves for 30 minutes
• walking 2 miles in 30 minutes
• washing windows or floors for 45-60 minutes

More vigorous, less time:

• swimming laps for 20 minutes
• bicycling 4 miles in 15 minutes
• jumping rope for 15 minutes
• running or jogging 1 1/2 miles in 15 minutes (10 min/mile)
• shoveling snow for 15 minutes
• climbing stairs for 15 minutes

Slow and steady does it. Remember that it's what you do by the end of the day that counts, not how you do it.