Short vs Long Workouts - How Small Block Workouts Throughout The Day Are Better!

Humans are like water, we'll generally take the path of least resistance - we just want to get to where we are going as quickly and easily as possible. Getting fit, feeling great and boosting your energy levels are no exception. Let’s get ‘er done!

Are Short Workouts Effective?

But what’s the best, easiest way to get to our fitness destination? A single 30-minute workout or 6 x 5-minute workouts? Turns out, it’s just as effective to get up and get moving several times a day, even if those workouts are short. For many of us, that’s a more realistic goal than trying to find longer blocks of time we can dedicate to exercising.

Exercise Every Day is Key!

The most important thing, though, is that we make the exercise happen. Over the course of each week, every week, we need to accumulate between 150 and 300 minutes of exercise. That’s about 30 minutes a day, on average. Whether you do that in a couple of 15 minute sessions, or half a dozen even shorter bursts or add them all up together is less important than making sure you get moving at least that much each day. Plus a great side effect of a healthy body fat percentage. Would you like to check yours in the comfort of your own home? Sure head on over to our online body fat calculator here.

The Benefits of Shorter Workouts

That said, there are lots of advantages to getting up and moving more often. Here’s why.

You aren’t sitting. Sitting is bad for you. The folks at the Mayo Clinic suggest getting up and moving at least once every 30 minutes.
If your body is moving, your muscles are active and burning more calories.
Your mind is being stimulated. Yep, exercise has been shown to improve brain health. If you’re struggling to solve a problem at your desk, sometimes the best solution is to get up, do a quick series of exercises, or take a brisk walk around the block and then get back to work.
When you move, your heart works harder (and gets stronger) and the blood flows faster, delivering nutrients to your cells and removing waste products. Your lymphatic system is also working harder and as lymph moves throughout your body, it also delivers vital nutrients to tissues, muscles and organs. Detoxification speeds up. All of this is good news when it comes to keeping both your body and your mind working optimally.
By working out more often, you increase the number of times each day that you get your daily D. O. S. E. of Happiness. Dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins all increase with exercise and all have a positive impact on our well-being.

So, yes, it’s entirely possible to get fit with short-duration workouts. Not only that, you’ll feel healthier, have higher energy levels, sleep better at night, reduce your stress levels and generally improve your outlook on life.

What’s a Good Short Workout to Try?

Try starting out with this amazing 5-minute workout. If you repeat this four times throughout the day you’ll be firing on all cylinders! The trick here is to keep moving during the workout. It’s short, but intense - you will feel like you’ve done something after you’ve finished. Repeat the whole series three times with no rests between rounds.

3 x Rounds - No Rest

15 x Deep Bodyweight Squats
10 x Pushups (if you can’t do a full pushup, start with knees on the ground and gradually work up)
20 seconds Superman Hold
5 x Burpies

Even though this will only take you five minutes, if you do this several times a day you’ll be amazed at what happens. If you are just getting started with a regular fitness program, ease into this. Start with twice a day and then increase the frequency of your exercise breaks.

Feed Your Body What it Needs

You may find that you will feel hungry if you start exercising more frequently. Just as important as working out regularly is fuelling your body properly. Don’t get silly and think it’s a good idea to grab a donut as a reward for working out. The wrong kinds of foods can undo the good you are doing with being more active. Clean, whole foods are what you’re looking for.

Smoothies Rock!

A super way to get your day off to a good start is to begin with a whole meal smoothie made with whole, natural ingredients, healthy fats, and a top quality clean protein powder. I love this recipe - give it a try and let me know what you think.

Berry Tasty Power Smoothie

1 serving Life Grip Vanilla Whey Protein Powder

150g Strawberries or Blueberries (frozen)

45g Banana

18g Natural Peanut Butter

100 ml Water

Blend up and enjoy! #delicious #foodenvy

No Excuses!

What’s shocking to me is how many excuses I hear when it comes to exercising. By carving out a few minutes several times each day, you can easily integrate short workouts into your schedule and start to reap the benefits right away. Have you tried shorter, more frequent workouts? Do you find that easier to work into your busy life? Let me know what your favourite fast workouts are in the comments.

So find those little 5 minute time slots and feel the difference!

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Free Body Fat Calculator

Measure your Body Fat % in the comfort of your own home for free! By using this Body Fat Calculator found here.

Let us know what’s working for you (and what your challenges are). Sharing your experiences is a great way to be part of our Life Grip community and, you guessed it, maintaining your social connections and being part of a supportive community is yet another way to maintain your youthful vitality for as long as possible.

You want your supplements and vitamins to be in their most natural state possible just as nature intended.

Eat Clean, Think Clean and Live Clean, your body changes, your mind thinks better, you handle stress and challenges better and are more driven and motivated as your energy levels have increased along with your mental clarity. You now begin to look at other areas of your life and how you can enhance them.

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