Lifestyle Articles :Get Fit With 10-Minute Exercise Sessions

Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008

Exercise. Ugh! We know we should do it, but who has the time? What most people don’t realize is that several short, 10-minute exercise periods can be nearly as beneficial as a single longer workout. It’s cumulative exercise time that counts, experts say. Studies also show that a lifestyle approach to exercise – sneaking it into your daily routine – can improve fitness almost as much as gym workouts. Aim for a balance of aerobic, strength training, and flexibility exercises each week.

Doctors recommend 30 minutes of exercise a minimum of three times a week. So how do you snatch three 10-minute workout sessions out of your busy day? Try these suggestions:

• Wake up a little early and take the dog for a brisk walk around the block, hit the treadmill or stationary bike, or march in place while you tune into your favorite morning talk show. Repeat when you get home.
• Before getting out of bed in the morning and again at night, do crunches to tone your abs.
• Do finger-grip resistance exercises for chest muscles while you’re sitting in traffic.
• Pace while you’re talking on the phone or sit in the invisible chair (squat with your back against a wall) to tone legs and glutes.
• During your lunch break, grab a friend and go for a walk.
• Run up and down the stairs during your break.
• Do vertical push-ups against the wall; alternate with a series of squats.
• Join the kids in a fast round of jump rope or a bike ride around the neighborhood.
• Exercise while you watch TV. Do sprints on your stationary bike during commercials or substitute lunges, marching in place, and jumping jacks. Alternate with stretches for flexibility. During the show, do strength-training curls and lifts with 5-pound barbells to tone arms or hook your feet into an elastic band and push until you feel the pull in your hamstrings to tone calves and legs.

The following appeared in an issue of Maxim’s nursing eNewsletter, Nursing Now. To receive news in your e-mail inbox each month, sign up today.