There are always plenty of excuses for not committing to an exercise program, but chief among them is a lack of time. So if you are away from home and on the road, for either business or vacation, most individuals see this excuse as being all the more justified. However, if you understood that effective exercise can be accomplished in as little as 12 minutes per week, perhaps you might think again about throwing away the idea of committing to an exercise program while traveling.

For quite some time now, we have been indoctrinated into believing that to lose a few pounds and to have a healthy heart, we must engage in rhythmical activities such as walking, jogging, biking or swimming for 30 to 60 minutes at a moderate intensity, preferably on most days of the week. Sound familiar? It should; recommendations such as these have been hammered into the minds of most medical doctors and it has also become the mantra of the fitness industry since the early days of exercise science research.

Even those individuals that visit the gym and engage in vigorous resistance training are always reminded that they should also do some “cardio”. As soon as I hear a statement like that, I know one thing for certain – the perpetrator of the comment does not have a clear understanding of human physiology. The main reason that this type of recommendation is so entrenched in the health and fitness industry is that this low to moderate intensity exercise, unwittingly, comprised the vast majority of the early exercise science research. Consequently, this type of research dominated the scientific journals and, in turn, the media. Now, while this type of training does have a training effect, one should understand about the superior health and fitness benefits of high intensity interval training, or “burst” training. This type of training involves exercising at higher intensities for shorter time periods, interspersed with rest periods that allow for recovery. The most effective exercise intervals that allow for the greatest effort can be as short as 20 seconds and should not be more that 60 seconds. The great aspect about this type of training is how little time is actually needed to impart a change to your body. In fact, recent research has shown that as little as 8 minutes per week of this “sprint” training can and dramatically increase your cardiovascular health and it is also the best approach for burning fat. Have you ever seen a fat sprinter?

While this type of training has not yet become a main stay of public awareness, it has been around a long time – a very long time. Throughout humankind’s development, short duration, high intensity exercise was a must for both survival and human progression. In primal times, throughout a day, short vigorous bouts of activity would be needed for hunting as well as for avoiding danger. Further, athletes have long been held in high regard for their physiques and fitness levels. In the early days of sports, and prior to
the professionalism of current day conditioning programs, athletes simply attained their fitness from engaging in their respective sport. Well, the vast majority of sports are interval based and you can get cardiovascularly fit and lose the fat by simply playing the sport, none of which ever require engaging in moderate intensity continuous “cardio” activity.

It is now clear from recent research that high-intensity interval training trumps low to moderate intensity training virtually every time. This is true for a whole host of health benefits, including cardiovascular health and fat loss, the most common concerns for why people engage in an exercise program in the first place. Whenever researchers have compared these two types of training regimes, side by side, the high intensity interval training has always produced more favorable results, often dramatically so. This is
also true when working with an older population or even with individuals already suffering from cardiovascular disease. A recent study published in Circulation, a journal published by The American Heart Association, reported dramatic superior benefits of interval training compared to moderate continuous training in elderly patients with stable prior heart failure. Not only did the patients in the interval training group have a greater improvement in their aerobic capacity (or “cardio” capacity), as compared to those in the moderate training group (46% vs. 14%), but they also improved a number of other parameters that improved the health of their heart. So how do you start an interval training program, particularly when you are traveling? Well, you can start by “sprinting” the stairs in your hotel (a fast walk or a moderate paced run is sufficient for many people!) in 20 second bursts and accumulate about 12 minutes worth during the week. If you decide to go on a hike on one of the many trails here in the Coachella Valley, you can quickly chalk up a few vigorous sprints up some of the hills. A decent personal trainer can also show you how you can accomplish a tremendous conditioning program using just your body weight and it can be taken to another level with a simple resistance band that you can throw in your travel bag. It’s not difficult to get yourself breathing hard if you do something vigorously for just one minute and the numerous benefits are well documented. So while it may not have been on your original schedule, you might consider a trip to come and see me at the Spa & Sports Center at Mission Hills Country Club and I can personally show you how you can get in great shape while at home or while traveling with a minimal investment of your time. It might just change you life! Have a great stay in
the valley.

Author’s Biography

Dr. Mark J. Smith obtained both his Masters (Exercise and Sport Science) and Doctoral (Physiology Cardiovascular Disease) degrees from Colorado State University. Then, as an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science, Dr. Smith worked extensively with Dr. Loren Cordain, the renowned author of the book, "The Paleo Diet.” As a result of this collaboration, Dr. Smith has had significant experience in helping autoimmune patients improve their condition through diet manipulation. This same diet has also helped individuals lose weight and athletes improve performance. Dr. Smith has also worked extensively as a personal trainer and health consultant and has lectured extensively on the benefits of high intensity intermittent exercise and Paleolithic nutrition.

Dr. Smith is also well known for his research and development of innovative high intensity, short duration training protocols that are now becoming increasingly recognized as an effective training method. He has become a leading authority on the health benefits of this type of training and these training programs are now implemented at thousands of health and conditioning centers around the world. Dr. Smith’s main interest today is in the prevention of disease and the optimization of one’s health by lifestyle modification. Consequently, he emphasizes education as a means to bridge what he feels is a large gap between health related research and the general public's awareness of health related issues. Along side 11 year PGA Tour Physical Therapist, Rob Mottram, he runs The Heath & Performance Center at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California.

Dr. Smith can be contacted at mjs@docsmith.org or at 760.324.6232