All About Micro-workouts

Less than half of Americans get the recommended minimum for physical activity, 150 minutes of moderately-intense exercise. That said, no activity is a waste of time, even small spurts all add up and offer health benefits. Some is better than none.

And that leads us to a current trend known as the micro-workout, also known as a mini training session. Think of a micro workout as an exercise ‘snack’. Snacks, if well planned and nutritious, help to bridge gaps in the diet and contribute to overall nutrient needs. They are, essentially, small meals. Micro-workouts are exercise bouts that last at least 20 seconds but typically less than 10 minutes. Knowing you can get through a session in a few minutes is motivating.

Intense exercise spurts of 20-60 and up to 3-7 minutes at a time, offers huge benefits. Any movement you can comfortably maintain for 30 seconds, engages large muscle groups and gets your heart rate elevated can be a micro-workout.

What to do? A quick walk, using a step bench, or performing calisthenics (jumping jacks, squats, lunges, step-ups, push-ups) are all options. A four-minute micro-workout might look like this: 25 seconds: jumping jacks, 25 seconds: body weight squats, (doesn’t have to be high-impact to be vigorous), followed by 10 seconds of rest (or take the rest in-between sets.

The greatest health benefits are seen in those logging 15 minutes per day of micro-workouts. Setting aside 4-5 minutes per day of vigorous intermittent exercise, however, may lower your risk of developing cancer. Other benefits of doing 10-minute micro-workouts 3x/wk include improvements in insulin resistance, increased endurance and lower blood pressures. Even taking quick walks (a couple of minutes every 30-60 minutes) puts you ahead of the game.

Plank Variations: Stability Ball

Plank exercises are popular for working the core because they engage so many different muscle groups and help to strengthen supporting (hip, spine) muscles. Of course, the prime mover muscles for planks include the major muscles of the front of your core, the transverse/rectus abdominis and oblique muscles. Your upper body muscles, such as the deltoids, lats, traps and triceps, get a workout as well.

With proper positioning, you will controct your quadriceps to keep your knees straight and tuck the pelvis in, engaging the glutes. Incorporate the stability ball to add instability, working your core at a deeper level. Beginners can try stability ball planks on the knees or take it further with the kneeling ABC’s.

For more advanced exercisers, a straight leg stability ball plank, or the prone ABC’s exercise, might be a challenging upgrade from a traditional plank.

Side planks target the oblique muscles. Feet stacked you can rest on the knees (for beginners), do the straight-leg version or add that element of instability with a bosu trainer or stability ball.

Walking Health Benefits

Walking is the most popular type of exercise for many reasons. It is economical, easy on joints, simple, heart-healthy, effective for weight management, fun, and great for beginners, to name a few benefits. According to research, simply taking more steps every day (regardless of pace or intensity) lowers your risk of developing cardiovascular disease significantly. A dramatic reduction in heart disease risk was seen in those who raised their daily step count from less than 4,000 per day to over 8,000 per day.

Other benefits include promoting bone density, as walking is a weight-bearing exercise. Those who walk regularly have brighter moods, less depression and are more productive. Need more  reasons to walk? Regular walking lowers blood pressure and improves sleep quality.