Staying Active

Exercise Program Doesn't Require Large Investment of Time

Listen to Dr. Bamman's discussion:

If you think you "don't have time" to exercise regularly, you might be surprised, says an exercise physiologist. And you could be missing out on a major boost to your mental and physical health.

"When people tell me they don't have time to exercise, I tell them there are 168 hours in a seven-day week and I'm only asking for three of those hours," says Marcas Bamman, Ph.D., director of the Core Muscle Research Laboratory and associate professor of physiology and biophysics at UAB. "You can accomplish a lot in those three hours, both in the endurance and resistance modes of training.

"As far as equipment goes, for the endurance component you don't need any. If you enjoy walking, or if your fitness level reaches the point that you're comfortable jogging or bicycling, that's all you need to do. Some people prefer a treadmill or stationary bike in their home, and those work just as well.

"Resistance training is a little more equipment-intensive. You can certainly do it safely at home after you've had some instruction. We don't recommend that people start weight training on their own without understanding the movements and the proper sequence of steps. It's beneficial to have some supervised weight training to begin with, and if you choose to continue this type of activity at home, you can do it safely.

"There are also ways to do some strength training without gym-type equipment, but you have to be a little bit creative."

A downloadable audio file of Dr. Bamman's article is also available.