While we all know that regular exercise is good for us, we don’t all do it for various reasons. It could be a lack of time or a lack of motivation or both! Is there a compromise?
Enter the 10-minute workout!
The 10-minute a day workout regime is increasing in popularity. Firstly, a 10-minute block of time does not sound intimidating. It sounds doable and we may find it easy to commit to it. After all, most of us take a longer time to finish our cup of coffee. So, why not?
Here comes the next question – is 10 minutes of exercise per day enough or beneficial?
The good news is that yes, it is! 10 minutes of exercise a day can help you to lose weight, along with being in a calorie deficit, and make a big difference to your health and fitness levels. Studies have shown that short workouts can lower blood pressure, improve your cardiovascular health and decrease mortality as well as improve concentration, boosting your mood and promoting better, deeper sleep.
However, you need to make the most of those 10 minutes. Going for a walk, although really good for you will not have the same effects as a 10-minute intense workout. You need to be doing some form of HIIT workout which alternates between high intensity and rest, eg. 45 seconds of exercise and 15 seconds of rest repeated for a set amount of times. The same can be done with repetitions so, for example, 20 reps of an exercise followed by 10 seconds rest and repeated.
The pros of 10 minutes daily
Ten minutes a day is short enough that you can engage in whatever you’re doing with more intensity. Would you walk at a faster pace if I told you to only walk for 10 minutes as opposed to 60 minutes? Of course, you would. That’s important because your body has adapted to your current lifestyle. It knows what it needs to do every single day to make it through your life. Doing the same thing, at the same speed, with the same intensity every day (like walking the dog) might feel good, and it can help your mobility, but it doesn’t cause your body to change or adapt. It’s got no reason to because it’s already within its capacity.
By exercising for 10 minutes with intensity and effort, you’ll be more likely to give your body what it needs to keep adapting, building muscle, and increasing your capacity.
Ten minutes a day feels like it’s doable, even on the days when you really don’t want to do it. Think about it: How do you say to yourself with a straight face that you don’t have the time or energy for 10 minutes of activity? Most of the time, you can’t. Therefore you’re more likely to actually do it.
If you extrapolate it over a full year, that’s 60 hours of exercise you may not have been doing otherwise! Ten minutes a day can really add up to something significant.
