Cardiovascular Adaptation to Twelve Minutes of Mild Daily Exercise in Middle‐Aged Sedentary Men*

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Abstract
A group of sedentary middle‐aged men (N=15) completed a 6‐week exercise program that involved two 6‐minute daily exercise bouts of running‐in‐place. Total body weight, skinfold thickness and serum triglyceride levels were not altered by this mild exercise program. However, increases in the subjects' work capacity and decreases in systolic blood pressure and heart rate for a given work load were observed. The results of measuring systolic time intervals by a noninvasive technique suggested that myocardial contractility at rest had increased after the 6‐week period. These results indicate that a beneficial adaptation of cardiovascular function can occur in sedentary middle‐aged men in response to a mild form of activity that can be accomplished with a minimum of time, inconvenience and facilities. In addition, the use of noninvasive techniques in measuring systolic time intervals appears to be a useful means of evaluating changes in cardiovascular function induced by exercise training.