Using Phase IV Science by Aishea Maas, Director of Science

So, after your yearly physical, the doctor tells you to start exercising to lose some weight or reduce health risk factors that were identified in the exam. But what kind of workouts, how often, how long and how hard should you workout to lose weight and/or improve your health?  Longer duration, continuous "metabolic" workouts (also known as cardio) including walking, running, cycling, swimming or elliptical training, etc., have been shown to provide the most significant health benefits. These type of aerobic workouts offer the greatest degree of protection against disease including heart disease, vascular disease, diabetes and even certain cancers and mental health conditions. This type of exercise has also been shown to help with stress management and improve learning. This has led to the "Exercise is Medicine" slogan that helped spread the word about the value of low intensity workouts. However, just like any medicine, the dosage, frequency and intensity of workouts matter. To make workouts effective and your program sustainable for life consider these guidelines.

Program Design

Frequency: All reasonable workouts provide health benefits, however, typically one needs to workout 2-3 times per week to achieve long term results.

Duration: It is important to start slow and build up in terms of the length of your workouts. We have found it's best to use time and not mileage to guide your workouts. This allows for some variation depending on how you feel each day rather than push yourself to cover a specific distance.

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