Don’t have time for exercise? You’re not alone. A lot of people have a hard time fitting exercise into their lives. We all know we should do it, but we just don’t have time! Exercise doesn’t have to take a lot of time to be effective.
Researchers have found that doing just 11 minutes of exercise every day can improve your cardiovascular fitness and your health. According to a study published in the International Journal of Exercise Science, a simple body weight workout that included burpees, high knees, split squat jumps, high knees, and squat jumps improved the cardiovascular health of the participants.
The study was based on a fitness plan known as the Five Basic Exercises. All of the exercises were easy body-weight exercises that you can do anywhere. Each exercise was performed for 1 minute and then followed with a short period of walking. The workout only took the participants 11 minutes, but it effectively improved their endurance and cardiorespiratory fitness.
Walking for 20 minutes a day can provide similar health benefits
Not everyone can do high-intensity exercises. If you have limited mobility, issues with your joints, a heart condition, or other medical conditions, you might not be able to do an intensive high-impact workout like the one mentioned in the study.
You don’t have to work up a sweat to reap the benefits of exercise. Even if you can’t do burpees or squats, you can do low-impact cardiovascular exercise like walking. Walking for 20 minutes a day can provide similar health benefits..
Maintaining a healthy body weight and participating in 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, can increase your lifespan by 7 years. Even walking for as little as 10 minutes a day (or 75 minutes a week) can improve your health.
Exercise doesn’t have to take a lot of time to be effective
Making small, consistent changes to your daily habits has been proven to be more effective than making drastic, unrealistic changes.. How many times have you seen someone make a New Year’s resolution to get in shape? Maybe you’ve done this. You’ve joined a gym or started taking an exercise class Each time you decide this is it. This is the year you get fit! You start off with all this motivation, but over time you lose your drive to keep going.
If you want to improve your health, setting realistic health goals is important. One of the biggest reasons people don’t stick with an exercise routine, is not just due to lack of motivation. It is because they don’t have time. Creating a simple workout plan like body weight exercises or walking, is one easy way to fit exercise into your busy life.
We all know that exercise is important for good health, but life is full of priorities. Making time for exercise when you have a hectic work schedule, family, and other responsibilities is tough. But, if you can squeeze in a few minutes of exercise daily, you will have more energy and reap the health benefits.
Keep your workouts short and simple
Make your routine efficient to get the most out of your workouts. You don’t need a ton of expensive gym equipment. Skip the treadmill and go for a walk. Do a quick body-weight workout while your coffee is brewing. Exercise should be something easy that you fit into your regular routine. Don’t overcomplicate it!