One of the biggest barriers I hear from people who want to get fitter is that they are too busy. They don’t have time to go to the gym, go for a run or even go for a walk. There is also a misconception that you need to be exercising for a long period, perhaps an hour, for it to be beneficial, which isn’t true.
If you are struggling to get started with exercise and you can find 10 minutes in your day (I’m sure social media won’t miss you for 10 minutes), then read on.
Try this simple 10-minute workout. The great thing is that you don’t need any equipment and you can do it pretty much anywhere.
Ideally, you should warm up before exercising, so use the first two minutes of your 10 minutes for this. This could be two minutes of brisk walking around the house or garden, or even going up and down the stairs a couple of times.
Now the exercises:
10 sit-to-stands from a chair
10 press-ups against a wall or kitchen worktop
10 step-ups onto a low step, alternating legs
10 bodyweight squats
30 seconds standing on one leg, then 30 seconds on the other
Have a short rest and then go again until your 10 minutes is up.
Nothing too scary there, I think. However, if you are starting from scratch, you should still feel that you’re doing some work. Your muscles will be working and your heart rate should be raised a little.
The biggest benefit though is that you have started!
You don’t even have to do this every day. You could start with just one day a week and then gradually increase it to every day if you want to.
Once this becomes easy and you think you can do more, then you make it a little harder. You could do more repetitions, use a heavier weight, move faster or increase the time.
The important thing is not to wait until you have a spare hour. You don’t need it and most of us don’t have one.
So finding those ten minutes today is better than waiting to find a full hour that never happens.
Why not set your timer for 10 minutes and give it a go today!
Remember though, if you have a medical condition or other concern that might affect your ability to exercise safely, speak to your doctor or another appropriate healthcare professional first.