In addition to two days of strength training, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services advises engaging in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity every week. Your own choices will determine how you divide that up: While some people enjoy long runs or steamy boot camp classes lasting an hour, others prefer quick and easy sweat sessions. According to the research, these micro-workouts are currently very popular. Over 20% of all user-tracked activity was under 20 minutes, per the fitness app Strava’s annual Year in Sport report.
The popularity of shorter workouts is not surprising.Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more people were working out at home and sneaking in a workout in between work-related duties and meetings. This is shown in online fitness classes: pandemic-favorite For instance, there are brief exercise videos available from Peloton, Cacti Wellness, and the Sculpt Society.
According to research and fitness professionals, there are several reasons to enjoy quick exercises. Here’s why.
You can break up your idle time with quick workouts.
According to a wealth of research, the more movement you get during the day, the better. This is particularly true if the time you would have spent sitting down is replaced by that movement.Numerous health hazards, such as diabetes and heart disease, are associated with excessive sedentary time. According to experts, it is essential for one’s health to break up this period of time with movement rather than just standing, which has its own set of health difficulties, including blood pressure issues.
Since they are easier to fit into your day, quick workouts are one strategy to counteract this sedentary period. Take “exercise snacks,” for instance. These little workouts can be easily incorporated into your daily routine and help break up the time you’re not moving.This could involve performing some push-ups or squats while watching TV, walking around the block for ten minutes after lunch, or even climbing a few more flights of stairs to get to work.Quick exercises might help you stay consistent.
In order to reap the health advantages of exercise, consistency is essential. Stronger bones, greater cardiovascular health, enhanced mental health, and improved immunity, sleep, and brain function are all associated with regular exercise.
Finding a plan that suits your time and needs is essential to maintaining a workout regimen.If you force yourself into a routine that doesn’t align with your priorities — like booking a lengthy barre class that takes up your entire lunch break — you may find yourself bailing more often than not, says personal trainer and fit pregnancy coach Kim Perry. She notes that for many people (including busy parents), it “feels daunting to set up an hour’s worth of time to work out.” Pilates instructor Lesley Logan tells Yahoo Life that many people find shorter sessions more “approachable” overall, which allows them to “integrate fitness into their busy lives more seamlessly.” In today’s fast-paced world, she explains, “shorter workouts can fit into tight schedules, reducing the stress often associated with finding time to exercise.” And any exercise is better than none at all. Short workouts may mean more intense exercise Studies have shown that vigorous exercise may be especially beneficial for our health, particularly for people who sit for long periods of time. The good news for short-workout fans? The shorter the workout, the more energy you have to really go all in — and research says that the health benefits of going harder in less time is just as good as doing a lower-intensity workout for longer.“HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, is one of the most effective workouts to do in short bursts, while also seeing strong results,” fitness instructor and Passion Fit founder Reena Vokoun tells Yahoo Life. That’s because HIIT (like doing mountain climbers or burpees for 30 seconds, followed by a short rest) causes your heart rate to go up quickly and come down for recovery, before it goes “right back up and comes right back down again.” It’s also a workout that “will help with your strength, energy, endurance and stamina,” Vokoun adds. While a five-minute walk on a treadmill is beneficial because any movement is better than none, it’s less effective for quickly improving fitness or burning calories, notes Vokoun.Are there any drawbacks to short workouts?You can reach your fitness goals by sticking to shorter workouts — but you do need to do some planning. If you’re not making time for a full-body strength training session, for example, think about what you can achieve in a short time. Maybe that means doing squats one day, arms the next and so on, so that every muscle group gets attention.Then there’s the risk of injury from more intense, short workouts. For one thing, people who focus on exercising quickly may rush through their workouts and risk injury by not taking the time to properly warm up or stretch afterward. Doing lots of short, intense workouts can also be hard on your body.When it comes to HIIT, experts say to aim for just two or three sessions per week and to recover for at least 48 hours between these workouts in order to avoid overuse and injury. Lastly, it’s important to keep in mind that your short workouts do need to add up throughout the week; a couple of mini workouts won’t make much dent in your weekly exercise goals. Make sure that each week you’re still getting 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise.
