No 4, part 2 *

The modern life style took away our physical activity but also added more life complexity then ever before. It is a double whammy because we have no more reason to be physically active and even no time to exercise.

It is no surprise that with modern lifestyle we don't just sacrifice the movement, we also sacrifice the amount of sleep we get every day. And because we are always on the go, we compromise our diet by eating fast(er prepared) foods. Most people aren't even aware of this "trade", they do it automatically...

So if squeezed for time, what is the best we can do? We should not jump to any exercise as they differ greatly and instead focus on using our time and effort for the maximum gain. We need to optimize...

All physical activity and exercise are divided into two basic groups: aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic exercise engages all of the muscles in the body to some degree while providing increased oxygen delivery and elevated and sustained heart rate.

The benefits of aerobic exercise are much wider than the benefits of anaerobic exercise which also employs muscles but doesn't train the cardiovascular system and doesn't deliver as much oxygen to body's tissues.

The obstacle to peak performance and optimization is actually our mind. It values stimulation, excitement and variety so despite very limited amount of time we all have, millions of people would rather do pilates or yoga then go for a brisk, 20 minute walk.

However, if you are after the "best bang for your buck", if you truly want the best return on your investment of time and energy, you should consider daily aerobic engagement. It can be as little as 10 minutes and probably not more than 20 minutes per day. You can also add your weights / pilates / yoga or sport activity after but the aerobic exercise is what will get you the strongest benefit because it matches closely what we lost: natural and continuous physical effort.

Aerobic exercise is easy to identify because it "elevates and sustains heart rate" . That means no physical activity that involves stopping and starting is "aerobic". Actually, there are just 6 examples of aerobic exercise:

• walking
• jogging
• running
• biking
• rowing and
• swimming

To maximize your benefit, you should use a treadmill because it sets your pace regardless of your motivation or energy level. It provides consistency so you can meet your target speed and distance every time.

Finally, there is some research that shows that as little as 7 minutes of running every day delivers 90% of health benefits of running. The key is "daily effort" and not "3 times per week". This makes perfect sense as your body will receive a very different message from a daily effort. The message is "make more energy so you can sustain this level of activity...".