Everyone wants to look his or her best, especially these days with summer right around the corner. Considering all of the rigmarole going on about celebrity diets, gluten-free this, vegan that and fashionable exercise routines such as Tony Horton's P90X, it's worthwhile to look at the "7 minute workout."

With so many other exercise routines in the zeitgeist and flooding the marketplace, it makes one wonder just how affective the 7 minute workout is ... or if the 7 minute workout even actually takes only 7 minutes to complete.

Perhaps surprising to some, but not so much to others (those crafty cynics and skeptics out there), it turns out that the 7 minute workout -- a longtime staple of the exercise community -- may not be as helpful in getting your bod in shape as has been advertised.

And, yes, it does turn out that -- upon further review -- it does take longer to complete than 7 minutes to do the 7 minute workout.

According to an analysis of the 7 minute workout published by LiveScience on Wednesday, May 22, a study that appeared in the May-June issue of American College of Sports Medicine's Health & Fitness Journal suggests that the express exercise ("which consists of 12 high-intensity exercises that use only body weight as resistance") is "an efficient way to lose weight and improve cardiovascular and muscular fitness."

But the problem seems to be that once that study went viral, more experts poked their noses in and discovered that there are a few key factors of the 7 minute workout that the study left out (such as the name of the exercise itself, which apparently is a misnomer).

On closer look, the study explains that though the exercise routine is one that should take only 7 minutes ... it should still be repeated for optimal effect. In fact, it should be repeated two or three times in a row, leading the person exercising to actually be working out for as long as 21 minutes in order to achieve the "high-intensity exercise" suggested by guidelines set via the American College of Sports Medicine.       

"Researchers have consistently shown that some exercise is better than none, but that more is better," Chris Slentz, a Duke University exercise physiologist, said.

Slentz added that a so-called 7 minute workout might result in a "modest physical-function benefit" only.

"Someone who does this [7 minute] workout will not burn enough calories to actually get metabolic benefits," Slentz said.

Even more strange than the fact that the 7-minute workout might take as long as 20 minutes to be effective is the study also reporting that those who should not be exercising through its routine are those who are: overweight, elderly or "previously injured."

People with heart disease or hypertension should also not use the 7 minute exercise, it turns out.

The idea of an exercise routine that is not appropriate for people who are older, suffering from heart disease or overweight might seem odd in itself ... but then there's the fact that the 7 minute workout could actually be downright dangerous for some.

"It is a good, quick option for an individual who is already really fit, and has other physical activities planned," Ottawa-based strength and conditioning specialist Elsbeth Vaino said, adding that those who are not "properly prepared" for the 7 minute workout could suffer the consequences.

Vaino continued that since the appeal of the 7 minute workout is its likelihood of fitting in with the rigorous work regimen of those who might be spending most of their day in the office, it's important to note too that the routine might be ironically inappropriate for these corporate denizens who should pay more attention to their upper back muscles and glutes.

Fitness and nutrition author Adam Bornstein adds that, in addition to the 7 minute workout seeming to require as long as three times that to do properly, "the studies used to 'prove' the concepts don't mirror the workout that is being lauded as the seven-minute fix for your body."

In addition to taking longer than 7 minutes to complete, previous studies looking into the scientific validity of the workout included exercisers who used free weights in addition to their own body weight, further debunking the minimalist aspect of the routine.

Though there are those such as University of Southern California professor Wendy Wood who seems to believe there is at least one way to ensure the 7-miniute workout will be effective if not at least 7 minutes long ("The trick with this - or any other exercise program - is to make it habitual ... an unthinking part of your daily routine"), it does seem that those looking for a quick-fix way to better health and a better body might want to stick to portion control, more conventional exercise routines and a healthful diet.

iTech Post reminds its readers that a medical professional should be consulted before they make any changes to their health, exercise or diet routines.

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