I’ve read all of the hype from the pros and doctors who say that all you need is fifteen minutes of intense activity to constitute a workout. I get it, heck I started doing interval workouts on my bike in hopes of improving my performance in the coming season but fifteen minutes, for a workout?

The truth is that fifteen minutes just isn’t enough, not even on the trainer in my office. I need a minimum of 45 minutes to really feel like I did something, though on two occasions last summer I did cut rides to 24 and 32 minutes because I was really pressed for time. Even though I did ride a lot faster than usual, I was really bummed when I pulled into the driveway. Even running, 22 minutes is the bare minimum for feeling like I got a decent run in (though I’m closer to a couple of hours lately).

I suppose if that’s all one can commit to in the beginning it’s better than nothing, but I seriously can’t get there in my head – you can’t burn enough to do any good in such a short period. There are a few trains of thought on this: “hey, it’s only 15 minutes, I can do that“… Then there’s my train, “why f’in’ bother? Yeah, it may be better than nothing but not by much”.

In the end, I suppose I’m blessed to be unencumbered by the usual BS that most people will buy to keep from being healthy. It wasn’t always this way – it took a gut and a big ass to see the light, and then years to get rid of it before I saw the light:

Humorously enough, my ass is kind of like my marriage. I get out of it what I put into it. If I only put fifteen minutes a day into my marriage, I’ll end up in divorce court.