The Power of Micro Workouts

Despite what most people might think, you really don’t need much time to work out.

In fact, even ten to twenty (or yes, twelve) minutes of challenging exercise a few times a week is enough to burn fat, build muscle, boost strength, and contribute to a healthy, active lifestyle.

Which means that no matter how busy you are, we all have time to exercise.

After all, just think about how much time you waste on social media, watching TV, or being inefficient throughout your day. You can easily shave a few minutes off your daily tasks and have enough time for a warm-up and a twelve-minute HIIT or circuit workout most days of the week. ​

One extremely effective way to stay fit when you’re busier than normal or have a mental block about doing a full workout is to add in micro workouts during the day. ​

For example, if you're sit in an office chair all day try adding a little razzle dazzle on the hour and put in some of the following during semi-frequent work breaks: ​

10 push-ups

15 bodyweight squats

5 pull-ups (get a doorway pull-up bar for convenience)

A 10-15 minute walk ​

The key here is to keep the challenge level fairly low so that you won’t feel a mental barrier to doing the number of reps.

When you start you can choose what works for you — fewer reps and more sets, or fewer sets and higher reps. Your goal is to find a solution that’s easy enough that you won’t put it off but that challenges you over the course of the day. You can gradually increase the number of reps and sets as you get stronger or keep them the same if your goal is maintenance.