Mini-Workouts
There’s no better way to get more exercise into your day and to burn more calories throughout the day than to incorporate mini-workouts into your schedule. Mini-workouts are exercises that you can do in less than 10 minutes. Even though you’ll only be doing a few minutes of exercise at a time, these minutes add up and before the end of the day, you will have burned quite a few extra calories.
Benefits of Mini-Workouts
One of the obvious benefits of mini-workouts is that they fit easily into your schedule so you don’t have to carve out a large block of time to exercise every day which can be difficult for busy people. Another benefit is that every time you exercise, it boosts your metabolism which helps you burn calories even after you exercise.
Here are several mini-workouts that you can easily fit into your day:
Stairs
Whenever you have to go up or down a flight of stairs, take an extra minute to turn around, and go back up and down the stairs a second time. This is a quick and easy way to burn a few extra calories without losing a lot of time. Of course, this should also be done in addition to choosing to take the stairs over the elevator whenever you have the chance.
Public Transportation
If you take public transportation, this is a great chance to get in some extra miles without much effort. If taking a taxi home, have them drop you off a few blocks from your home so you have to walk the rest of the way there. If you’re taking a bus or subway train, consider walking to the next stop on the route to wait or getting off a stop sooner to walk the extra distance.
Taking Breaks
During your workday, take a few 5-minute breaks or use part of your lunch break to get in some short, high-intensity workouts. Find a place where you have enough space to work out but won’t interrupt people who are working such as an unused conference or supply room, then do some jumping jacks or knee-highs to get your heartrate going.
Switch Positions
The simple act of standing instead of sitting will burn more calories and help reduce the many health concerns that come with staying seated for too long. If your job requires you to be seated at your desk for long periods of time, try getting a standing desk. If that’s not an option, then get an exercise ball and use that for your office chair for a few hours a day. The extra effort it takes to keep yourself balanced will help you burn a few more calories.
Strength Training
Get some extra strength training into your day by doing wall push-ups whenever you’re at home waiting for water to boil or at work waiting for the copy machine to finish. When you find yourself holding anything with some weight to it, do some curls to strengthen your arm muscles, even if it’s just a few with a soup can while you wait in line at the grocery store.