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Micro-workout benefits and expert tips on how to to get started in just 20 seconds
No time to work out? Micro-workouts can help change that.
Fitting an hour of exercise into your busy day can feel impossible, but proponents of micro-workouts say they offer a way to get exercise in more approachable chunks.
Micro-workouts are a “relatively small commitment in time and intensity for a relatively big payoff,” explains Walter Gjergja, former professional athlete and co-founder and chief wellness officer at fitness app Zing Coach.
What are micro-workouts?
Also called mini workouts or exercise “snacks,” micro-workouts involve short bursts of movement, done multiple times a day, to add up to a larger overall workout.
“Ideally, we want to total up to 15 minutes or more and spread that 15 minutes throughout the day,” Gjergja says. “There is substantial research that shows that this type of very short but high-intensity bursts has a profound impact to our physiology, to our health, to all kinds of markers of of fitness.”
Gjergja says micro-workouts can fall into two categories: 20- to 60-second workouts, or sessions that last a bit longer, around 3 to 7 minutes.
“They have to be over 20 seconds, otherwise the efficiency is really very minimal, but they are a short burst of relatively intense movement and intense exercise,” he explains. For example, this may look like running up stairs for 20 seconds or running in place for a minute.
He also doesn’t advise going longer than 10 minutes if you’re aiming for a micro-workout, since that length of time “involves a more steady effort,” he explains.
Micro-workout benefits
The first — and perhaps most obvious — benefit of micro-workouts is fitting some movement into your day.
Even with only 3 to 7 minutes to spare, Gjergja says you can take a “mini journey of the three main areas of fitness,” which are cardiovascular, muscular and flexibility.
For example, you could structure your micro-workout as a couple of minutes of push-ups, squats or sit-ups for strength, a couple of minutes of cardio exercise like jumping jacks, and a couple of minutes of stretching for mobility.
“You get immediate coverage of all the critical aspects of fitness and well-being in a very short period of time,” he says.
Research has also pointed to benefits of a few minutes of vigorous activity throughout today.
An observational study published in JAMA Oncology last year found that doing four to five minutes a day of “vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity — such as one- to two-minute bursts of fast walking or stair climbing — is associated with a “substantially lower cancer risk” compared to those who did no such activity. Even quick strolls — as short as 5 minutes every half hour — throughout the day can go a long way for your health, other research shows.
Other benefits of micro-workouts include being able to do them practically anywhere, since they don’t require equipment or much space, and that they can help you build towards more long-lasting exercise habits.
“Usually to start with a small commitment, it’s far more effective than to jump in fully into a (larger) activity (or) gym membership,” Gjergja explains. “The moment you are convenient to just a few minutes (that) are manageable within your home or office space, suddenly the creation of that habit is much easier.”
Tips to start micro-workouts
Incorporate it into daily life:
Whether sitting at your desk, doing household chores or watching TV (hello, Super Bowl commercials!), movement can be sprinkled into your typical routine.
For example, if you take just a minute from every hour of your work day for push-ups or sit-ups, you can easily reach hundreds of reps by the end of your shift.
“That is a substantial muscular workout, especially for somebody who doesn’t usually train,” Gjergja says. “And you’ve done it with virtually no commitment at all.”
During a recent appearance on “CBS Mornings” to discuss heart health, CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook talked about a similar way to “hack” movement into your day.
“If you’re commuting to work, how about commuting 10 blocks before work and then walk? If you’re taking the elevator to the 22nd floor, take it seven floors under that and walk,” he suggested. “Make it so that you’re not saying, ‘OK, now I have to do exercise’ — exercise becomes just part and parcel of how you live your life.”
Set your workout “menu”:
Gjergja suggests preparing a “menu of exercises” that you can do safely and in the environment and clothes you’ll be in.
“Don’t improvise,” he says. “Test that you can do this exercise and it’s physiologically comfortable for you.”
If you’re looking to increase the intensity of the micro-workouts, you can try harder movements like burpees or incorporate a pair of dumbells or elastic exercise bands.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.