If you have a busy life, and most people do, you know that it can be hard to find time to exercise. The demands of children, work, or school can keep you from sticking to your goal to burn fat.
Many people opt to do shorter workouts throughout the day, such as doing three or four ten minute sessions instead of one long one. Does this work?
You may be able to find the time for these workouts, but do they burn fat? If your body needs to warm up for about twenty minutes in order to kick into fat burning mode, how can short workouts be effective?
If you spend the same amount of time on your short workouts as you would on one long ones, the American Heart Association says that you will get the same benefits.
This means that if you do four ten minute workouts, you are doing the same great things for your body that a single forty minute workout can do. To make it even more effective, the AHA recommends that you make these short workouts as intense as possible.
So the key to making your short workouts count is to make sure they are rigorous and challenging to your body. Here are some ways you can do this:
1. Run for ten minutes.
With a short workout, go faster than you normally do during a long workout. Run for ten minutes at a fast pace. If you prefer to walk, go much more briskly than you usually do. The key is to get your heart going.
2. Do a gym machine for ten minutes.
If you are at the gym or have equipment at home, jump on and exercise extremely rigorously for ten minutes.
3. Use the stairs. Or a hill.
Run up some stairs or a steep hill. Walk down and repeat. Do this for ten minutes to burn fat.
4. Have flashbacks to phys ed with jumping jacks.
5. Do ten minutes of jumping rope.
What makes a good ten minute workout is intensity. Work hard, go all out, and you’ll burn fat. Strength training is also great for your mini-workouts.
Your body needs a variety of activities in order to burn fat. Warm up for a few minutes with light cardio, and try the following moves:
* Squats: these are the moves to get the most out of your workout. They are very effective.
* Lunges
* Pushups
* Tricep dips
* Pushups
You can do sets of each or combine them to create compound moves. These work more muscle at the same time. Examples of compound moves are: squats combined with overhead presses, lunges paired with chest presses, and knee lifts with tricep kickbacks.
Even short workouts need warm up and cool down periods, but they can be as simple as walking. Walk briskly for a few minutes to warm up, and walk at a slower pace to cool down. Stretching is also important so you don’t strain your muscles.
If you can only fit in short workouts into your schedule, you are doing great things for your body. Above all, you will burn fat and lose weight.
Working out for shorter periods of time can also be much more motivating and can help you stick with your exercise program.
Your busy schedule may be a valid excuse for not doing a long workout each day, but not with short workouts! You can always find ten minutes somewhere.
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