3-Minute Workout Debunked

Between working, sleeping and re-watching episodes of Lost (it takes up a lot of time, believe me), I try to find the motivation to get my butt in gear at the gym. But getting there is only one battle. Reaching the 60-minute mark as I chug along on the treadmill is another.

I'll be honest. Sometimes -- no matter what I have blaring on my iPod -- running on the treadmill feels like watching paint dry, only I'm sweating profusely while doing it. That's why I was beyond thrilled to hear recent research suggest that a 3-minute, high-intensity interval workout might mimic health effects of a longer, more moderate exercise session.

For two weeks, exercise biologists at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, had 16 male subjects perform six high-intensity interval sessions on exercise bikes. Each session consisted of four and six 30-second sprints with a few minutes of rest in-between.

Here's the good news: the subjects' ability to control blood sugar levels improved by 23 percent, which is key in preventing diabetes. The bad news? Researchers suggest that while interval training can help the body burn more fat than steady cardiovascular exercise, no significant weight loss was recorded with such short bursts.

Bummer.

But before you once again chain yourself to the treadmill (or as I like to call it, the hamster wheel), check out the silver lining. You can cut a moderate-paced workout in half and burn the same amount of calories by trading in an hour-long workout for 20 to 30 minutes of interval training.

"Not only does interval training burn more calories, it brings up intensity and saves time," says Jim White, American Dietetic Association. The reason? Interval training may stimulate mitochondria (your body's energy powerhouse) to burn fat before carbohydrates.

Plus, it can in shock the body by increasing aerobic capacity, says White. In a 2005 study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, test subjects doubled their cycling endurance after only two weeks of interval training.

"It helps the mind, too," adds White. "The last thing people want to do is be on the treadmill for a certain amount of time. It gets redundant."

Here's an example of an interval exercise White recommends for a moderate exerciser, which can be performed once or twice a week on a treadmill, elliptical or bike:

On a scale of one to 10 (one being the least intense), start with three minutes at an intensity of two or three. Then ramp up your intensity to an eight or nine for three minutes. Finally, go back to a pace of two or three for three minutes. Continue alternating for 20 to 30 minutes.

The bottom line: Right now 3-minute workouts that result in weight loss seem to be a pipedream, but adding a 20- to 30-minute high-intensity interval workout to your exercise regimen is a step in the right direction.

Before you embark on any highly intense workout, you should already exercise at a moderate pace at least three times a week. If you have any heart problems, talk to your doctor first.