There is no difference between continuous and accumulated patterns of exercise in terms of effects on fitness , blood pressure , lipids , insulin and glucose .
There is some evidence from a small number of studies that changes in body mass and LDL cholesterol are more favourable following the accumulated condition .
Collectively our findings suggest that adults are likely to accrue similar health benefits from exercising in a single bout or accumulating activity from shorter bouts throughout the day .
Public health guidelines suggest that physical activity can be accumulated in multiple short bouts dispersed through the day .
A synthesis of the evidence for this approach is lacking .
Our objective was to undertake a systematic review and meta- analysis to examine if exercise interventions consisting of a single bout of exercise compared with interventions comprising the same total duration , mode , and intensity of exercise accumulated over the course of the day have different effects on health outcomes in adults .
A randomized controlled trial of continuous activity, short bouts, and a 10,000 step guideline in inactive adults.
OBJECTIVE Although several studies have examined the effect of accumulated bouts on health outcomes , the impact of recommending short bouts on activity-related behavior in health promotion efforts has received minimal investigation . METHOD During this 5-week study in 2007 - 2008 , 43 university employees ( 8 male , 35 female ) in the Southeastern United States were r and omly assigned to a group recommended to achieve ( a ) 10,000 steps ( 10 K ) , ( b ) 30-minutes ( 30 min ) of continuous physical activity , or ( c ) 30-minutes of activity in bouts of at least 10 minutes ( bouts ) . RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that the 10 K group showed the largest increase in step counts whereas the bouts group showed the smallest change over the intervention period , p=0.01 . Condition differences were most pronounced on days in which participants met their activity recommendation . Accelerometer results revealed that the 10 K ( d=1.1 ) and 30 min groups ( d=0.89 ) showed large increases in minutes of moderate to vigorous activity ( MVPA ) , whereas the bouts group showed minimal change ( d=0.11 ) . Although activity recommendations did not differentially affect self-efficacy , participants from all conditions showed decreased self-efficacy across the intervention ( p=0.02 ) , highlighting the need to develop strategies to increase self-efficacy in activity promotion efforts
There is no difference between continuous and accumulated patterns of exercise in terms of effects on fitness , blood pressure , lipids , insulin and glucose .
There is some evidence from a small number of studies that changes in body mass and LDL cholesterol are more favourable following the accumulated condition .
Collectively our findings suggest that adults are likely to accrue similar health benefits from exercising in a single bout or accumulating activity from shorter bouts throughout the day .
Public health guidelines suggest that physical activity can be accumulated in multiple short bouts dispersed through the day .
A synthesis of the evidence for this approach is lacking .
Our objective was to undertake a systematic review and meta- analysis to examine if exercise interventions consisting of a single bout of exercise compared with interventions comprising the same total duration , mode , and intensity of exercise accumulated over the course of the day have different effects on health outcomes in adults .