As a parent and small business owner, I totally understand the demands of a busy schedule.
I wanted to share some tips on workout routines for people with packed agendas.
The goal is to maximize the effectiveness of your workouts while minimizing the time commitment.
First, if we only have 20-30 minutes for a workout, it’s important to focus on high-intensity workouts.
This means doing exercises that get your heart rate up and challenge your muscles in a short amount of time.
We use high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which involves alternating periods of intense exercise with brief rest periods. This method is perfect for busy schedules.
Second, incorporating strength training into your routine is absolutely crucial.
Strength training not only builds muscle, but it also helps to boost your metabolism and burn more calories throughout the day.
You don’t need to spend hours in the gym to see results – the same 20-30 minutes of strength training two to three times a week can make a noticeable difference.
Third, make sure to prioritize compound exercises. These are exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once, such as squats, lunges, push-ups, and rows.
By doing these types of exercises, you can get a full-body workout in a shorter amount of time.
As a bonus, compound exercises build strength that translates to everyday activities.
Fourth, don’t forget to incorporate cardio into your routine.
While HIIT can be a great way to get your heart rate up, steady-state cardio (such as walking, jogging, cycling, or swimming) is also beneficial. If you’re feeling low energy and HIIT seems like more than you can handle that day, do some low/moderate-intensity cardio.
Even 20-30 minutes can help improve cardiovascular health and burn extra calories.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to get creative with your workouts.
If you can’t get to a gym, bodyweight exercises, resistance bands, and even household items (like water jugs or cans of soup) can all be used to add variety and challenge to your workouts.
Remember, even small amounts of exercise can make a big difference, so don’t be discouraged if you can’t commit to long workouts every day.
The goal is to do some activity regularly. We don’t need to train like pro athletes to reach our goals.