Skip to main content

Four Minutes To Fitness Not Likely . . .

Americans would love to believe there's a quick way to health and fitness. In fact, one company has made more than $60 million promoting this idea. The infomercial for the $600 Time Works, an exercise machine incorporating stepping with upper body motion, states that all you need to do to achieve fitness and health is perform one four-minute session four times per week on the machine. Dr. David Nieman, director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Appalachian State University, investigated this claim and found it to be inaccurate. He concluded that four-minute exercise sessions on the Time Works did not provide adequate stimulation for heart and lung fitness or overall health. The current American College of Sports Medicine guidelines for cardiorespiratory fitness requires 20 to 60 minutes of aerobic activity four to six times per week.