-
Building exercise momentum: 10 minutes makes a difference
Filed under Fitness, Healthy HabitsMar 19Something is better than nothing
Whether you’re just starting an exercise program to lose weight or you’ve been on an exercise hiatus from your regular routine, many times it’s best to start small and build your exercise momentum by making it a minimum daily commitment. Using a minimum daily effort of 10 minutes may seem like an insignificant impact on your overall health or weight loss, but often this small amount of time serves as the impetus to your entire future exercise program.
When to use the “10 minute” strategy
- You’re just starting an exercise program and seem overwhelmed by the effort you think you should be devoting to it.
- You use the excuse that you “don’t have time” to exercise.
- You had previously been on a regular exercise program, but something changed in your routine and you’ve been out of the habit (sometimes for as little as a week!)
- You work out sporadically because you only want to do “real” workouts that require more time or energy than you have.
- You only workout when you can devote a large block of time to it.
It’s easier to talk yourself out of an hour long run than a 10 minute walk, but even a little bit is better than nothing. Oftentimes, that 10 minute walk will turn into a longer session of exercise since getting started is sometimes the hardest part. But even if it doesn’t, it gives you a chance at keeping your momentum going for the next day so that you have a chance at building consistency into your weekly routine.
5 simple ideas for adding 10 minutes of exercise
-
Put your walking shoes & clothes on as soon as you get out of bed. Walk 5 minutes away from your front door and 5 minutes back. Commit to 7 days in a row and if you miss a day, recommit to 7 straight days.
-
Put your walking shoes in your car and walk instead of waiting at appointments.
-
Park an extra 10 minutes away from your appointments. You’re guaranteed 2 bouts of 10 minutes of exercise.
-
Find a DVD (or “on demand” cable channel) with 10 minute segments on it and commit to doing 1 segment each day for 7 days.
- Set a timer for 10 minutes and do jumping jacks, lunges, pushups and crunches while you watch television.
Check out the Women’s Health fitness section online for downloads, slideshows and information on a variety of exercises to try. Make a commitment to exercise daily for a minimum of 10 minutes to build or maintain your exercise program!Has incorporating small bouts of exercise into your day ever helped to keep you on track with your program? Which suggestion above would you be willing to try to get your momentum going?
Tagged as: Fitness
3 Responses to “Building exercise momentum: 10 minutes makes a difference”
-
[...] you haven’t fit exercise into your day yet, remember it only take 10 minutes to build or maintain your exercise momentum. Start problem-solving right now how to get in that 10 minutes [...]
-
I always make sure that i get an exercise each day, exercise keeps me fit and healthy.:.*
-
the best exercise are full body exercises like military press and also swimming.`:.
Leave a Reply
