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.

Sample SMART Goals

Most people have already heard that setting goals is an important step in making thoughts and wishes a reality. Whether professional, personal, academic or health-related, the goal you set should be SMART. This stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant/Realistic and Time-Bound. Time and again, these goals are more motivating and get you to the next level, no matter your objective. So, in the area of health, nutrition and fitness, what does a SMART goal look like (versus a general goal). Check out these 5 examples:

General: I will eat better. (what, how, when?)
SMART: I will eat 2 servings of green vegetables daily, at lunch and at dinner. (You can also specify a duration).

General: I will be more active. (how, what, when?)
SMART: I will wake up at 6:30 am (instead of 6:45 am) on M, W, and F so I can take a 15-minute walk (or bike ride) before getting ready for work. (You can specify a specific time for your walk).

General: I will eat less sugar to lower my blood sugar levels.
SMART: I will stop adding sugar to my coffee in the morning and have an afternoon snack of 1 oz nuts and a piece of fruit instead of 2 chocolate chip cookies.

General: I will de-clutter my bedroom closet and dresser drawers, donating some items.
SMART: Every Saturday afternoon for the next month I will go through 3 drawers and 1/4 of my closet. (Furthermore, you could add that you will have 2 piles: donate and throw away, etc).

General: I will start following the Mediterranean diet.
SMART: For the next month I will transition to a Mediterranean-style diet by doing the following: eating fish 2x/wk (Tuesday and Friday), snacking on nuts, and trying a new Mediterranean-style recipe on a Sunday evening.

Motivation Tip: Bypass Boredom

Don’t get bored – with the foods you are eating, your physical activity or even the route you take to commute. Boredom can kill motivation quickly. That’s why it is important to change things up, keep them fresh.

For diet, consider trying new, healthy recipes (online), new fruits and vegetables, cooking techniques, combinations, eat in season, treat yourself to a healthy restaurant meal, experiment with vegetarian eating and include your favorites once in a while, if in smaller portions.

For fitness, start with a variety of activities to choose from. Vary time, intensity and frequency. Occasionally buy new exercise equipment or gym clothes, exercise seasonally, try a new sport or dance class, check out walking/hiking groups, change your biking/walking route, for example.