A little exercise goes a long way

TAMPA - You may have to exercise hours a day in order to feel the burn, but you don't have to work out nearly that long in order to feel the benefits.

New research released by the American Heart Association says just a little exercise goes a long way.

The American College of Sports Medicine says the amount of exercise we really need is half what they once believed. Just 10 to 15 minutes a day will reduce cardiovascular disease.

It's based on research by the American Heart Association that found 15 to be the magic number to see a benefit for people not getting a lot of active minutes.

Amber Sutton says she only gets a little every day.

"I get out. I walk, pretty much. I don't really do too much else," she said.

But 15 minutes seems more manageable to her.

"Very much so, especially for people with busy schedules," she said.

Many do fit it in much more than 10 minutes. Michael Sennit says he runs or walks up to an hour at a time. He's like a lot of people who wouldn't dream of cutting down to 15 minutes.

More exercise does bring more benefits. The Heart Association research revealed new estimates on just how much: 20 minutes a day reduces heart disease by 14 percent, 45 minutes drops it to 20 percent and an hour equals a 25 percent dip.

But you really can do a lot in just 15 minutes.

"Our average workout runs between 10 to 20 minutes," said Eric Stratman of Next Level Training Center in Tampa.

He runs Cross Fit Tampa. It's a high intensity program that exercises the entire body at once, not just one muscle group.

"Ten to 15 minutes, you want to make sure that it's efficient. We want to look at efficiency because 15 minutes, as long as you're doing functional movement at high intensity, you're going to get the most out of your 15 minutes," he said.

The new "10 to 15 minute" stance marks the first time the American College of Sports Medicine has changed it's exercise guidelines since 1998.

The research used to used to set that guideline also found that women get more benefit from exercise.