Don't have time for long workouts every week? Break them up into smaller, but effective mini-sessions
Incorporating exercise routines into our week is a fundamental requirement to stay healthy at any age, and generally it is recommended to do at least 150 minutes of aerobic movement in a week (i.e. walking, jogging, running, cycling, etc.) or half an hour daily of a more intensive workout. To this program should be added two days of endurance or strength training.
We cannot always get a full hour or more to dedicate to doing all these exercises on every day of the week, but we can certainly break up long training sessions into many smaller ones, which will guarantee us greater flexibility in managing our exercise time, so as not neglect doing them in favor of our other, usual commitments.
via healthline.com
Bupa Health UK and CrossFit®/YouTube
There are various studies indicating that distributing mini training sessions throughout the week is beneficial for cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory health. So, we can also think of incorporating 10-minute movement sessions in our day. Daily exercises such as:
- Walking
- Riding a bike or an exercise bike
- Walking up flights of stars
To these are added the more intensive exercises aimed at exercising the various muscle groups of the body (for example, the abdominals). In any case, you must always consider taking some time before and after the sessions (especially the more intense ones) to warm up and then to cool down. Simple stretching movements or light walking can come in handy for this.
Examples of routines to try: These are circuits to be repeated as many times as possible within 10 minutes:
- 10 squats (here is a video on how to do them)
- 10 push-ups
- 10 jumping jacks (see the reference video)
- Holding one plank for 20 seconds
- 10 glute bridges (here is the reference video)
- 20 seconds of rest
If you prefer Yoga:
- Position of the child (Balasana) to be maintained for 20 seconds, repeat 3 times
- Cat-cow (Chakravakasana) sequence, 10 times
- Position of the chair (Utkatasana), 10 times
- Dog position (Down or Downward Dog), 8 times
If you want to take advantage of an elevation, such as a hill or any appropriate slope near your home, you can do this, repeating the movement every 10 minutes or so:
- Run to the top of the hill (it must be a short and not very steep slope). You can start by walking up it as quickly as possible.
- Do 15 squats and 15 lunges while walking.
- Walk back down the hill.
Try to incorporate an exercise routine during the various days of the week and do everything possible to not miss any sessions for at least the first couple of weeks. If you do this, a habit will soon form and your body will gradually be able to deal with each exercise with greater ease!
