Only a few days ago I was blogging about the virtues of High Intensity Training.  (See “Bolt from the Blue” by clicking on “EXERCISE” in the TAG CLOUD).

It was based on research from Aberdeen University which suggested just two one minute all–out bursts of energy were all you needed to do to dramatically improve your health.

I have to say, getting this keep fit all over in just two minutes a week, sounds like a great idea.  But it seemed to me that a short burst of energy was more likely to bring on a heart attack than prevent one, so I am going to pass on High Intensity Training.

There is maybe a better idea coming recently from America’s Iowa State University.  They studied 55,000 adults over 15 years and found that the runners among them had a 45% lower risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke than the non-runners.  They also lived on average for 3 years longer.  Their study suggested that running for less than seven minutes a day at a slow pace still reduced the risk of dying.

Now that sounds betters than all that sweaty and exhausting High Intensity Training stuff.  Still, that’s an hour a week of exercise, plus all the warming up, plus the time it takes squeezing in and out of the Lycra running shorts.

Perhaps I will wait a while till some more researchers come along who suggest leaning on a gate for an hour a day is all the exercise you need.