I recently read Fit or Fat, in which the author stresses all that is needed to make a significant difference in our bodies is twelve minutes of exercise a day. that is, 12 minutes in which our cardio is going.. so 12 minutes, not including warm up time. is this a popular opinion or is there arguments against that?

I would have to disagree with that fact. My dad is trying to lose weight and his doctor told him that the in order to do lose weight that you are to do workout for at least 45 minutes. Anything below that doesn't help you to lose the weight.

There are so many theories (I use the term loosely) it's tough to tell. The one thing I have found consistant is heart rate elevation. I do not recall the exact numbers or the formula to find your ideal cardio/fat burn heart rate, but they are fairly close to the ones listed on various cardio peices of equipment.

Logically, timing would play a role. The longer, the better, at least that's how the logic works in my mind. I've always been told a minimum of 20 minutes for cardio. The more the merrier.

Actually, 12 mins is not enough if you want to loose weight, but, it has some effect in ur body. It makes ur body work. Think about it, instead of doing nothing, sit at the sofa and watch TV, you can do some useful think, why not think of some yoga? it will help you much. For my experience, after that 12 mins, you 'll have motivation to continue ur exercise.

that is a good way to see it - use the 12 minutes to get motivated. I should really try that, cause I am one of the ones that never can fit in 45min or an hour for exercise...

Well, if you warm up for 15 minutes and you cool down for 15 minutes and you exercise at your maximum heart rate for 12 minutes, then you're almost with all the other recommendations. I think this is just a way of making you think that less exercise is enough and when you dig deeper you find out that it isn't. I have to agree with starylovenight and Natalie, that it probably helps you get going if you 'only' have to spare 10 minutes.

I have alot of time on my hands..I found this great site, Walking for fitness - Weight Loss - Exersise. Its really informative. I haven't read alot of it...I wanted to share with all of ya'll.

http://walking.about.com/ sorry ...forgot to post the site address. ;-)

I have to agree with Sipowicz, your heart rate is very important. You should aim for 45min to 1 hr. cardio, and you have to be ready to make it a habit. That is if you want to see results and make them lifelong. I'm sorry to tell you, but 12min a day won't cut it. But if thats the way you get started then its better than nothing, just promise me you'll increase your time quickly. I want everyone to succeed, we have to help eachother so that society stops with this yo-yo fad dieting. I really hate the gimmicks, but I guess a cut and dry diet plan of eating small and healthy portions without some plan for a quick fix just doesn't sell. Personally I think reading a book and trying mold my life around a fad diet seems alot harder than just making better choices.

also, you don't have to do it all in one shot. Doing 3 sets of 20 minutes is the same as doing 60 minutes ... you still need a warm-up to get maximum results, but I think 15 minutes might be too much ... you can feel when your body starts to get confortable and ready to work out. When my heart starts to pump at a nice steady beat and I can feel the blood rush to my hands and feet (a nice warm sensation), I know that my body is ready. It used to take about 8-10 minutes, but now it usually only takes about 5-7 minutes.

so if I do 3 sets of 20 minutes i basically have to warm up and cool down 3 times? Then that would be the better way to go, because I would actually get approx. half an hour more exercise. Or do those 20 minutes include the warm up phase already?

no, they don't include the warm-up phase ... but, you should need less warmup the further u get into the day ...

good luck

thank you....i get to start all over because I couldn't exercise for the past 2 weeks, not that I did all that much before...I was just starting. I have a plan to start walking my dog in the morning again - as soon as it is a little lighter at 6.00AM

thanks for your replies (3 years later! )
I figured it sounded strange (and no I don't believe in fad diets either), that 12 minutes a day would be enough to change your body. That's why I posted, I was interested in hearing others opinions on this. I can say that I do at least 30 minutes of cardio every two days, with positive results.