Effectively, adding 5 minutes of exercise a day would be of benefit. I mean, you'd be that much better off than if you didn't do those 5 minutes. The problem is that those 5 minutes wouldn't be terribly effective.
Exercise is a really broad term. It really should be separated into 2 types of exercise. Cardiovascular exercise (aerobic) and resistance training (anaerobic).
Cardio:
Cardio is what you would do to exercise your heart and lungs. The fitter you are the more you'll be able to handle everyday physical demands. You'll also be able to climb a flight of stairs without feeling like you ran a marathon. It really has many benefits. Some others include increased immunity, blood pressure regulation, the list goes on.
Cardio is also what is most responsible for calorie burning. If you want to lose fat, this is the one to go for.
Resistance training:
Resistance training works to increase muscle strength and endurance by doing repetetive exercises with weights, weight machines, or something similar.
Resistance training has a ton of benefits.
To name a few-
- Strengthens the muscular system
- Strengthens the skeletal system
- Improves bone density (decreases the chance of osteoporosis)
- Increases metabolism
- Improves posture
- Limits atrophy of the muscles
- Aids in hypertension control
- Aids in cholesterol control
- Aids in body fat control
- Increases circulation
- Aids in prevention of adult-onset diabetes
- Improves mood and self-esteem
- Improves quality of life
- Aids in the prevention of heart disease and certain cancers
Another benefit to fat loss is that doing cardio aloner will cut fat but you'll really just look like a thinner version of what you see now. Adding resistance will give you that muscle definition when you've lost that fat. You'll just look so much better.
