7-Minute Workout" could transform your body

Grab a chair; find a wall and lace up a sturdy pair of workout shoes.

The so called “7-Minute Workout” is designed to hit all the major muscle groups, without spending all your time in the gym.

Chris Jordan is Director of Exercise Physiology at the Johnson and Johnson Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Florida.

He has designed a workout based on a concept called “High Intensity Interval Training,” or “HIIT”, at one time HIIT was popular only with elite athletes.

"The reality is anyone can do interval training," said Jordan.

Jordan’s “7-Minute Workout” combines aerobic and resistance moves for the lower body, then the upper body and core.

"There's 12 exercises specifically designed and ordered, and each exercise is done for 30 seconds,” said Jordan. “Twelve times 30 equals six minutes."

Jordan allows five seconds in between each exercise to transition, adding up to the seven minutes.

The circuit starts with jumping jacks, followed by a wall sit.

Then it is push-ups, crunches and a step-up, alternating legs, to get the heart pumping.

The exercise then goes back to the lower body with squats, then tricep dips and a plank to work the core followed by lunges, pushups with a side rotation and a side plank.

Too much to remember? You can have a virtual trainer at your fingertips in the form of a free, downloadable app that helps keep you on track.

Jordan says his workout is designed so people can build up to three circuits, or about 21 minutes, of exercise on three non-consecutive days.

"The good news is, any exercise is good for you,” said Jordan. “You're going to feel the benefits almost immediately."

7-MINUTE WORKOUT
REPORT #2189

BACKGROUND: Physical exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons, including strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system, honing athletic skills, weight loss or maintenance, and merely enjoyment. Frequent and regular physical exercise boosts the immune system and helps prevent the "diseases of affluence" such as heart disease, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity. It may also help prevent depression, help to promote or maintain positive self-esteem, improve mental health generally, and can augment an individual's sex appeal or body image, which has been found to be linked with higher levels of self-esteem. Health care providers often call exercise the "miracle" or "wonder" drug-alluding to the wide variety of proven benefits that it can provide.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_exercise)

BENEFITS OF EXERCISE: The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. Check out these seven ways exercise can improve your life:
* Helps control weight
* Combats health conditions and diseases
* Improves mood
* Boosts energy
* Promotes better sleep
* Puts spark back into sex life
* Can be fun
As a general goal, aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day.