Lack of time is the most common barrier to exercise. We are conditioned to think that we have to exercise for 45 or 60 minutes to get results. In reality, very few people have more than an hour to exercise. Those who do often stick to the same steady-state cardio training and still don’t see results. Done right, a 10-minute workout can be even more effective than long, slow (and often downright boring) cardio sessions. A 10-minute workout is more manageable to fit into your day, and a 10-minute sweat session can be so much more fun!
The key to making a 10-minute cardio session extremely effective is increasing the intensity. If you can talk, you are probably not working hard enough. Short bursts of high intensity exercise will boost your metabolism and tone your muscles more effectively than steady state exercise at a lower heart rate. If you are new to exercise, it is wise to start slowly (at a pace you can carry on a conversation) and build up for two to three months. However, if you’ve been exercising for a while and have no contraindications to high intensity training, it may be time to speed up and reduce your time on the treadmill.
I have put together three simple and effective 10 minute workouts that you can try. If you haven’t warmed up yet, take an extra 2 to 5 minutes to do your workout. Finish each workout by warming up for a few minutes.
1. 1 minute blasts. Do this exercise on a cardio machine, or outdoors on foot or by bike.
1 minute: moderate effort
1 minute: pick up the pace. You must be breathing heavily and definitely NOT be able to speak.
Repeat a total of 5 times. Try to increase the intensity of your hard intervals throughout your workout (for example, run faster or increase your RPM on the bike).
2. 30-second promotions. Do this exercise on a cardio machine, or outdoors on foot or by bike.
30 seconds: easy to moderate
30 seconds: Hard
30 seconds: very difficult
30 seconds: very, very difficult (you can do it!)
Repeat a total of 5 times.
3. Full body burns
Warm-up: 25-50 Jumping Jacks
30 seconds running or marching with knee high
30 seconds Squats or squat jumps
30 seconds running or marching with knee high
30 seconds of forward lunges or lunge jumps
30 seconds running or marching with knee high
30 seconds Push-ups (knees, toes, or on the wall)
30 seconds running or marching with knee high
30 seconds of sit-ups on a bike (for abs)
30 seconds running or marching with knee high
30 second burpees (or squats)
Repeat for a total of 2 rounds.
If you have 10 minutes, you have time to fit into your cardio workout. If you don’t have 10 minutes, find the time. You’re worth it, and so are the results!
