Five Minutes Is All You Need For Your Fitness Goals!

How often did you commit to a certain routine before you break away from it? A week, maybe even two, before you began to skip a session, then skip two, before stopping it altogether? You are not alone. This is the same fate met by many when they embark on their fitness journeys.

We stay committed to it until we see a weight loss of up to 2kg. We then simply fade away back into old habits and simply gain all that we lost, maybe even some more. It’s a vicious cycle. The good news is that the time has come for you to break it!

Quit the Excuses

First, get rid of the many feeble excuses that you have for not exercising. Most notably, this very common one – “I don’t have the time.” You cannot simply apply this any longer. This is because we are going to convince you that you can change your fitness around just by doing 5 minutes of exercise a day. Yes, five minutes. So no more saying you don’t have the time, or that you don’t have a gym membership, or that you don’t know how to follow a program, or that you’re intimidated or even that you have an injury. There are ways around each of these excuses.

Can 5 Minutes Be Effective?

Let’s look at a study published by BioMed Research International. A group of two men was studied, with one group spending 70% less time exercising than the other group, but each performing the same exercises. The results are mind-blowing – the group that spent 70% less time on their exercise lost significantly more body fat than the other group! If this doesn’t convince you, nothing will. A simple five-minute commitment is small enough to fit into anyone’s day and big enough to ignite healthy habits in your lifestyle to promote better wellbeing.

How Many Calories Can You Burn In 5 Minutes?

It will depend on just how hard you work out during these five minutes. If five minutes is all you are going to spend on a workout, you should give it all of your energy and effort. The great news is that with HIIT workouts, you could lose up to 20 calories per minute. You also benefit from an ‘afterburn effect.’ Your body will continue to benefit from fat-burning for 48 hours after the five-minute workout.

How To Set Up a 5 Minute Workout

The workout that you can do during your five minutes will be unique to you. You have to consider your health, your fitness level, and your resources. In the beginning, try to put together a list of fun exercises that will keep your heart rate up and keep you moving for five minutes, using what you have available. Think of medicine balls, resistance bands, weight training, an exercise bike, dumbbells, a treadmill, or simple but challenging exercises like squats, planks, jumping jacks, and the skipping rope. You could choose a couple of different exercises and repeat the sequence you have chosen as many times as possible within five minutes. The possibilities are endless!

Unique Ideas on Doing Your Five Minute Workouts

You can get creative with the time you choose to do your workouts. If you can do a few five-minute workouts a day, you’ll do even better with keeping on track! But stick to whatever is manageable and focus on habit. Try to incorporate the principle of nano-exercise, which is doing a small exercise activity while doing another daily activity.

For instance, do calf raises while brushing your teeth, or squats while standing at the stove.  Set a reminder on your phone for your five-minute workout. You could use the five minutes as a break from your desk during working hours. Walk to do your errands instead of taking a drive. You could even use TV commercials between your shows to squeeze in some physical activity. Every bit counts, so don’t underestimate all of the efforts you are putting into these short bursts of activity.

Consistency is key for you to be able to see results. By consistency, we mean making the five-minute routine or an activity habit a part of your lifestyle. It is there to stay, not until you lose 10 pounds or until you fit into your old pair of jeans. Consider these changes to your daily life as permanent, and before you know it, you’ll be wondering how you got so fit and into shape without even realizing it!