18 DAYS!

Hi Friends! How are you? First of all, I want to wish my baby HAPPY 28TH ANNIVERSARY! It has indeed been an amazing 28 months, and I'm looking forward to many more 28 months together, our happily ever afters.

In the craziness and franticness of getting ready for 3 weddings = 2 dinners + 1 church ceremony, and in the midst of my workload, I would like to take this opportunity to comment on something that I came across on Paul's blog. Can someone be physically FIT and gain

ENDURANCE by just spending SIX

MINUTES PER WEEK exercising?

Apparently, there are some research papers supporting the similar or superior benefits of spending less time exercising while increasing the intensity of those exercises, instead of the usual, longer workouts per week in keeping fit.

When I saw this, my immediate reaction was... NO WAY. And

even after reading those handful of studies, I still think... NO

WAY. I don't think there is ANY shortcuts to be fit and have endurance. Being an athlete previously, and still an ardent sports enthusiast, I do not believe that one can stay fit AND healthy

AND have a substantial ENDURANCE by spending,

what, ONLY 6 mins per week exercising, as compared to 60 minutes per week or more. And here are my reasons:

1. Increased risk of injuries - We all know about the importance of doing a proper warm-up, to minus the risk of aggravating muscle tears, and other sorts of sports-related injuries. A proper warm-up already takes more than 6 minutes PER SESSION. There is no way you can be properly warmed-up in less than that amount of time. How can you perform better without a good warm-up? And those SHORT BURSTS OF INTENSE ACTIVITIES prescribed by the 6-minutes-workout-per-week proponents will ultimately lead to the increased risk of injuries, and in the long run, impose a lot of strain on the HEART. Instead of imposing steady, low-intensity stress on the heart, you are putting super, high stress in a shorter amount of time. Now, isn't that equivalent to a heart attack?

2. Different types of muscles being worked-out - Short bursts of movement uses Type II, fast twitch muscles. Ultimately, you are not using those Type I, slow twitch muscles. So I really don't know how does working out more on the Type II muscles will improve the functioning of Type I muscles which is more important in endurance sports. Where is the logic? To illustrate my point, take a look at these pictures, and you'll understand where I'm coming from...

3. Let's compete! - I'll really like to race someone supporting the 6-minutes-workouts-per-week in the half marathon. I'll really like to see how someone spending only 6 minutes per week can run a better time than someone spending more than 60 minutes per week on the road. And I'll definitely like to see how that someone can NOT incur knee pain or muscle cramps in the race. It's like asking Usain Bolt to win the Boston Marathon. Is that even possible?

4. Let's compare! - I'll really like to see, after 5, 10, 20 years later, the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and respiratory system of the 6-minutes-workouts-per-week person, versus the 60 minutes or more person. That is, of course, if the 6-minutes-workouts-per-week person is still alive... OOPPSS! Or should I say... OUCH!