Mini Workouts

I was checking up on fitness trends for 2023 and came across something referred to as mini workouts.  I know what it sounds like to me but I wanted to look into it in more detail because I sometimes have days where it is hard to fit in a 30 to 60 minute workout.  This offers a change, especially for those who know they need to exercise but find it hard to do it.  

In today's society we know how important exercise is but many of us have jobs that take so much of our time or we have family matters we need to take care of if we are not working. Sometimes mini workouts are our best option.  By definition, a mini workout is an exercise session that lasts from 10 to 15 minutes. This length is easy to fit in a busy schedule and can be easily incorporated especially if you work at home. The mini workouts can be done during a break from work. Even with the shorter workouts, you can lose weight, improve fitness, and are easier to stick with. 

Another. big advantage is that when a person finishes a mini workout, they have a sense of accomplishment which can keep them motivated. In fact, these mini workouts help combat the fact that we do not move as much and spend lots of time sitting.  In addition, these short sessions are enough to have your body release endorphins so that you feel better. I will say that it is much easier to start exercising if you know the session is only 10 minutes long and since it is short, it can be done across the day.  

However, in order to get the most benefit from such a short session, it needs to be of higher intensity. When looking at exercises that fit the higher intensity category, you need to look at HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training which are composed of high intensity moves alternating with very short periods of rest.  One could do Tabata Training composed of four minutes of high intensity moves broken down to extremely high intensity moves for 20 seconds alternating with a resting move for 10 seconds.  this is continued until four minutes is reached.   

One could also do High Intensity Circuit Training which is made up of compound eight training movements designed to up your heart rate while working multiple muscle groups at once.  Finally, one can do a metabolic training composed of high intensity movements that work the whole body alternating with short rest periods.  No matter what exercises you do, you need to make sure that you have proper form, otherwise they are not as effective.

The advantage of using mini workouts is that you can choose one or more depending on your needs.  So instead of exercising 40 minutes straight, you can do 4 different 10 minutes sessions spread throughout the day.  It is important to do a warm up and cool down but these do not have to be super long and each session should focus on one muscle group or area of fitness.  This site has suggestions for various mini workouts one can do at home easily and a suggested warm-up routine. 

So if you don't have a lot of time, think about doing a mini workout.  It will get you up and moving, improve your mood and your health.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.