Liz Neporent is a diet and fitness expert and co-author of "The Fat Free Truth". She regularly appears on national TV programs and is the president of Wellness 360, a New-York based wellness provider. You can also follow her on Twitter @lizzyfit.

Photo: lululemon athletica, Flickr

Can I get any benefit from doing just a few minutes of exercise or am I just wasting my time?

There is a common misconception that you have to be an exercise fiend to get anything out of a fitness program. Most professional groups, the American Council on Exercise included, recommend doing at least 30 minutes a day of moderate-to-vigorous activity to derive most of the cardio-protective effects of exercise and at least five, one-hour sessions per week if your aim is to lose or maintain weight. All true. But that said, a growing body of research shows you will get some benefit if you aim for as little as 10 minutes of physical activity a day and about the same benefit as a longer workout if you do several mini-workouts throughout the day. Let's refer to this workout approach as "exercise snacking."

I think physical activity can work something like diet: There are times you are able to sit down at the table and enjoy a leisurely meal, and then there are other times when all you can do is grab and go. When you don't have the time or inclination to do a full "meal" of exercise, try exercise snacking to accumulate activity throughout the day in the form of micro-movement sessions that last for 10 minutes or less. Research done at Harvard University shows these bite-sized portions of movement begin to tap into the health benefits of physical activity and chip away at weight issues, especially if your exercise program nibbles total at least 300 calories a day. (For a 150-pound person, that's the equivalent of walking three miles.)

Day 3: In addition to splitting exercise up over the course of the day, I'm also trying to be on my feet more this week. Studies have found that when people sit, a fat-burning enzyme called lypase turns off. By standing, you can actually burn up to 60 extra calories an hour.

For those of us with office-type jobs (in my case, a home office job), sitting can take up a large part of the day. So in addition to trying to get three 10-minute mini-workouts this week, I'm also just trying to be more active in general. Here's a few things I've done:

• Moved my laptop to the kitchen bar, where I can stand while working. This really takes some getting used to; I keep wanting to sit.
  
• Removing the basket that collects odds and ends at the bottom or our stairs and taking things up as I find them, one at a time.
• Playing music all day, which encourages my three-year-old to keep the TV off and is the cause of some spontaneous dance sessions.
• Breaking up paid work and housework so that I never spend too long being sedentary.

Of course, it's five degrees here right now. If it were spring, my options for physical activity would be wide open -- walking, a bike ride, gardening. But with a small child, I'm housebound for a few more weeks until the weather starts to warm. Today has proved to me, though, that just because you're stuck in the house doesn't mean you're stuck being sedentary.

When it comes to exercise, do you have the best of intentions and not much else? Intentions are great, but they don't do much to improve your fitness unless you act on them.

There are plenty of excuses for skipping your daily workout:

• I'm too tired.
• I don't have time.
• I'll do it later.
• The kids need me.
• I have to work late.
  
  

While those excuses are valid, just like intentions, they do little to move you closer to your goal or protect your health.

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Pregnancy used to be a great excuse to put your feet up and relax, but no more. New guidelines released by the Department of Health and Human services say that pregnant women should get 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week.

Not only can exercise improve a pregnant woman's health and prepare her for the work of childbirth, it may also provide long-term health benefits for the baby. Experts do put a few conditions on exercise: No lying flat on the back after the first trimester, and women should avoid activities that put them at risk of falling or that might cause any other kind of trauma to the abdomen.

Researchers stress that it's the overall minutes per week that are important, so any place that you can squeeze in physical activity will do. As always, talk to your doctor first, especially if you weren't exercising before you got pregnant. But these new guidelines make it clear that, though rest is important during pregnancy, having a bun in the oven doesn't mean you have to be a couch potato. Here, Maggie offers some great tips for overcoming pregnancy-related exercise obstacles.

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Welcome to Walking the Walk, a feature that takes a deeper look at commonly shared diet and fitness advice. Every other week, I'll choose one piece of advice and practice it for seven days. Then I'll report back on what I discovered about making it work in real life and how it affected my own personal fitness -- and how it ultimately can affect your own efforts.

When I returned home from driving my daughter to school last week, I found my husband waiting for me. "You drove?" he said, his eyebrows up. "We were late!" I argued. He rolled his eyes. "It's coooollld," I whined. This got nowhere with the man who rides his bike through blizzards.

I couldn't argue with him because he had a valid point. It's silly for me to fire up our minivan when, if not for a few houses, I can practically see the school from our front porch. (But we were late!) Walking my daughter to school and home again is an easy way to get an extra 20 minutes of physical activity into my day.

According to WalkScore, my neighborhood scores a 60 out of 100 for walk-ability. By walking 15 minutes or less, I can reach video stores, convenience stores, a fruit market, multiple parks, a pharmacy, restaurants, a hair salon (though not my hair salon), school and extra-curricular activities, my husband's workplace, and our city's downtown. We already sold one of our cars, and if I want to be honest with myself, there's often little reason for us to use our other vehicle.

It's easy to become sedentary when you work from home. I was shocked last winter when I put on a pedometer to count my daily steps, which experts say should add up to a minimum of 6,000 a day, and optimally 10,000. Walking just makes good sense -- it gets me moving, keeps me healthy, and saves on gas. So my rules for this week's Walking the Walk are this:

• If I can walk to it in less than 15 minutes, I will.
• If I can't, I'll try to bike it. If not, then I'll park in the farthest parking spot possible so I can still benefit from the extra steps.
• No elevators or escalators allowed -- it's all stairs for me!
  
  

Click "next" to find out how the week went.

The guidelines are based on the first thorough review of scientific research about physical activity and health in more than a decade, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. A 13-member advisory committee appointed in April 2007 reviewed research and produced an extensive report in order to come up with the guidelines.

This gist of the guidelines is this: Adults gain substantial health benefits from two and a half hours a week of moderate aerobic physical activity, and children benefit from an hour or more of physical activity a day. In addition to preventing disease, physical activity can improve thinking ability in older adults and the ability to engage in activities needed for daily living.

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Just because you're working for the weekend doesn't mean that you have to only be a weekend warrior when it comes to fitness. Having a weekday commitment to your desk or computer can make it tough to squeeze in daily exercise, but not impossible. Even if you don't have time for a walk at lunch time, you can tone, improve your balance, better your posture, and finesse your flexibility ... right at your desk.

Forbes has an excellent gallery of 10 exercises you can do right in your office or cubicle, including "The Little Mermaid" and "The Magic Carpet Ride." See? You're intrigued already, aren't you? You might feel a little silly the first few times you exercise in your office. But as your fitness level improves, you'll be the one smiling at your new, fitter self.

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If you don't want cancer, you've got to get off the couch. Now, I don't promise you won't get cancer if you change your couch-potato ways -- I got cancer and never was a couch girl myself -- but this one simple step will at least offer you some protection against the disease we all want to keep at bay.

Don't worry, you don't have to work up much of a sweat in your fight against cancer. Simply moving will do the trick. Sure, a hard-core run works but so does a round of golf. Or a walk with your pooch. Or a game of kickball in the back yard with your kids. Any type of physical activity will do -- as long as it's not done while reclining on the couch. Jumping on your couch might work, though.

No one knows for sure why exercise is a cancer butt-kicker. Maybe it's the inflammation and stress-fighting powers physical activity delivers. It doesn't matter why it works, really. It just works. So get walking, dancing, hiking, raking, mowing, and more. Just move.

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Back-to-school is right around the corner. Not only will kids everywhere be getting back into their daily school routine, parents will find themselves adjusting their routines as well. Extra-curricular activities, homework, and the daily grind of getting every to and from school each day can put a pretty severe limit on a family's free time.

Being too busy is one of the most common reasons people give for not exercising. Don't let your summer exercise routine falter this fall. Instead, plan to make exercise a priority. Find an empty place on your calendar several days a week and write in your workout... in pen. Keep in mind that exercise doesn't have to happen in a gym or in a committed 45 minute chunk. Walking at lunch, bike riding with the kids after school, or any other activity that raises your heart rate and gets you moving will count.

Need some help getting organized? About.com and Buzzle both have great tips for maintaining your workout routine once school starts.

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Exercise isn't only good for your body, it's a boost for your mood, too. Exercise releases endorphins -- your body's natural "feel-good" hormones. It also gives you time with your thoughts, to clear your mind of stress and clutter. Physical activity is a natural confidence builder, too -- as you build strength and tone your body you feel good about your accomplishment. To get the most mood-boosting benefits:

• Challenge yourself. Your body may not release endorphins at a mild level of exercise. So, to the best of your physical ability, work up to a more intense level.
  
• Listen to music while working out.
• Pick an environment that is enjoyable -- whether that means going to the gym with friends or heading out to a nature trail.

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The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recently issued the new guidelines on physical activity, updating recommendations issued in 1995, while also giving advice for those 65 and older.

The 1995 recommendations, issued by ACSM and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, had stated that every U.S. adult should accumulate 30-minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on most -- preferably all -- days of the week.

The new guidelines call for healthy adults to engage in moderately intense exercise for at least 30-minutes, five days a week, or vigorous exercise at least 20-minutes, three days each week. The new guidelines even go as far as to say that if you exercise above the recommended minimum you will receive even greater health benefits.

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This morning as I headed out for a run, my iPod died after one song--dang! So it was that I had the opportunity to overhear a group of women passing me in the opposite direction. I didn't quite have the time to catch the whole gist of their conversation but I did hear one woman say, "Well, we all have our hang-ups."

That got me thinking. Yes, we all do have hang-ups. I certainly do. I don't plan to bore you with them here, but assume mine are similar to your own. Afraid to ask that gal out on a date? Nervous about donning that two-piece? Not sure whether you'll ace that test? So it would seem that no matter who you are, hang-ups are a part of your life. For many, those hang-ups bog us down like ankle weights while we tread water.

For me, though, I see hang-ups as a challenge. They provide the opportunity to realize what you want and to go out and get it -- and to achieve success, if you're willing to accept the challenge. Many folks never accept that challenge because they lack one simple thing. No, it's not a certain pill or consistently eating a certain type of food (cabbage soup diet, anyone?). It's not six-minute abs or B12 shots. It's confidence.

It's never too early to start instilling healthy habits in young children. The National Bone Health Campaign has taken this tactic and promotes bone-healthy habits for girls ages 9-12. Building strong bones -- especially before women reach age 30 -- is a critical preventive measure for osteoporosis. Helping young girls understand bone-healthy habits encourages them to maintain these behaviors for a lifetime.

Milk isn't the only tool in a parent's bone-health toolbox. Plenty of foods are rich in calcium. Other dairy products like yogurt and cheese are also good choices -- but opt for low-fat versions when possible. Many dark green vegetables such as bok choy, spinach, kale, broccoli, and collards are good sources of calcium. Sesame seeds, almonds, and whole-wheat English muffins are other unexpected calcium-rich foods. In addition, you can also find calcium-fortified orange juice, soy drinks, and tofu.

Nutrition is just one half of the bone-health equation. Get your kids outside and playing! Weight-bearing activities like basketball, jogging, karate, hiking, and jumping rope build muscle mass and strengthen bone. (Non-weight-bearing activities like swimming and bike riding are also great for your child's health but don't contribute to bone strength.)

Powerful Girls Have Powerful Bones is a fun and informative website with information, resources, and games for girls.

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Chances are, this winter's cold temperatures kept you indoors and less active. While you'd think our bodies would have more energy after this season of relative rest, as it turns out, it's actually made us even more tired.

This, according to a recent study by the University of Virginia that found regular exercise actually reduces overall fatigue. It seems counter-intuitive, but in case after case, researchers found that expanding energy actually gives you more of it.

So even at the end of the day, when you're exhausted from work, or chasing after kids (or both), and exercise seems like the absolute last thing on your mind, remember these inspiring words from the study's authors: "We live in a society that's always looking for the next sports drink, energy bar or cup of coffee that will give them the extra edge to get through the day, but it may be that lacing up your tennis shoes and getting out there and doing some physical activity every day can provide that spark of energy that people are looking for."

Seems simple, but it gets me off the couch.

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