Make Time for Exercise with Shorter Workouts

Do you use time wisely?

"I don't have time to exercise." I wish I had a dollar for every client who's said that to me--I'd have a lot more money than I do now. I know you're busy and I also know you often feel overwhelmed by all that exercise you're supposed to be doing. Cardio 3-5 times a week for at least 20 minutes and strength training workouts that work all your muscle groups at least 2 times a week. How the heck are you supposed to fit it all in? I have the answer! Read on if you want to know how to squeeze in short, effective workouts.

Using Your Time Wisely

You may have heard that shorter workouts done throughout the day are just as effective at burning calories as one, longer workout. That's great, but it's confusing trying to figure out how to change your longer workouts into shorter ones. If you only have 10 or 15 minutes at a time, how long should your warm up be? What exercises should you do? How can you keep the intensity up to get an effective workout?

When it comes to cardio, there are number of ways you can work hard in the time you have. The key is to make the workouts intense. If you only have 10 minutes, you want to work as hard as you can in those 10 minutes. If you can find 10 minutes 3 times a day, you can get in a great workout.

Short Cardio Workouts

If you only have a few minutes for cardio, your focus should be on intensity. Any activity will do, as long as you can work hard at it and get your heart rate up. Here's an example of a 10-minute outdoor workout involving walking, running and jumping jacks. If you don't like high impact, you can stay with the walking and add intensity by speedwalking or adding hills to the workout. Use this Perceived Exertion Scale to track your intensity:

Outdoor Workout:

1 minute: Warm up with a brisk walk - RPE - up to 5
1 minute: Speedwalk - speed up until your RPE is at 6-7
1 minute: Run - RPE 8
1 minute: Jumping Jacks - RPE 8
1 minute: Speedwalk - RPE 8
1 minute: Run - RPE 9
1 minute: Jumping Jacks - RPE 9
1 minute: Run - RPE 9
1 minute: Jumping Jacks - RPE 9
1 minute: Sprint - RPE 9
1 minute: Walk at an easy pace to cool down - RPE back down to 3-5

You can also get some cardio in at work. If you have flights of stairs to work with, take 10 minutes and divide your workout into 1-minute segments like the one listed above. Start with a warm up (walking up the stairs slowly) and alternate running up the stairs and walking down each minute. You can also try this Boot Camp Workout to do at home.

Strength Training Workouts

When it comes to strength training, you can do the same type of thing as cardio workouts. By doing compound exercises (exercises that target more than one muscle group) without rest between sets, you can squeeze in a strength training workout in 10 minutes, if that's all you have. Ideally, it's best to spend more time on your strength training to really target those muscles, but you'll always have days when you're short on time.

Below are some workouts ideas for short strength training routines:

• 10-Minute Strength Training with Resistance Bands
• Quick Fix Upper Body - This workout is longer than 10 minutes, but offers compound exercises for a shorter workout
• Quick Fix Lower Body

If you're ready to try something different, check out my new 10-Minute Strength Training Workout. The workout takes you through 10 different exercises and you'll perform each exercise for 20-60 seconds, depending on your fitness level. The exercises use either no equipment or a medicine ball, although you can do the entire workout without any equipment. Add intensity by adding weight to the exercises. Be sure to check with your doctor before you begin any type of exercise program and modify the workout according to your fitness level.