Got 10 Minutes?

10 minute sessions
throughout the day adds up

When you can’t fit in a 60-minute workout, that’s okay. SparkPeople says we need to get rid of the “all or nothing” mentality when it comes to exercise. Multiple 10-minute workouts throughout the day can be just as beneficial to our health and our fitness plans. Of course, these multiple 10-minute workouts add up throughout the day, so keep that in mind when you think that 10 minutes just isn’t enough to make any differences.

SparkPeople recommends you follow a similar schedule to the one below for your 10-minute workout:

1-2 minutes – warm up (include stretching)

7 minutes – medium to high-intensity workout

1 minute – cool down (include stretching)

When I know I will not have enough time to do my workout in one session, I like to do some of the following things:

For strength:

+ Use resistance tubes

+ Push-ups

+ Lunges

For cardio:

+ Climb stairs

+ Stationary bike

+ Treadmill

Just remember, every bit counts. 

Pièce de résistance

Resistance training is an extraordinarily important part of physical and mental health. Steven Fleck and William Kraemer, co-authors of Designing resistance-training programs, offer some of the benefits of resistance training:

+ Increased strength & mobility

+ Increased fat-free mass

+ Decreased body fat

+ Improved heart condition

+ Improved mental health

Clearly these benefits are worth working for. However, if you are unable to go to a gym to use weight machine, just as I am unable to, you can still incorporate resistance training into your fitness plan. One way I do this is by using resistance tubes.

Resistance tubes are flexible, lightweight tubes (similar to surgical tubing) that stretch like a rubber band. They have handles on each end to allow for preferred gripping, and come in various thicknesses for increased or decreased resistance.

Resistance Tubes

I particularly like resistance tubes because they are...

+ inexpensive

+ portable

+ easy to store

+ light in weight

+ perfect for traveling

+ effective for any 

   muscle group

Some disadvantages of resistance tubes include:

+ Elasticity will eventually break down, so you will need to replace them

+ They can snap if they are punctured

Often I use these bands while my child is playing or I am watching TV in the evening because they are so easy to transport around the house, and I do not need a lot of space to use them. I also like to leave one band hanging around so that if I have a spare minute or two, I can do a set of whichever exercise I choose. It never hurts to get an extra set in when you have time.

You can find exercises for any muscle group in specialty books and websites. It is surprisingly easy to use resistance tubes; don’t hesitate to try them out.