You may have perfected your workout routine. Cardio, strength training, and stretches, you know the drill. But sometimes life gets in the way and other commitments take priorty, leaving you with no choice but to forego your workout altogether. However, even a quick and easy workout has benefits and is better than no workout at all.

 Quick Workouts Have Many Benefits

It may not seem like it, but fitting in even an easy workout into a busy schedule has its own benefits.

• Burn calories: an easy workout will get your body burning calories during the workout, with the added benefit of burning calories after finishing your exercise. In addition, a short workout will burn more fat.
• Sleep: are you having trouble sleeping? Fitting in a quick workout before bedtime will help you feel more relaxed and get a deeper sleep. Make sure to give your body a few hours of rest between your workout and going to sleep. This is important for your body temperature to return to normal.
• Prevent diseases: apart from burning calories and getting more restful sleep, you will reduce your risk of getting diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cancer.
• Endorphins: endorphins are your “happy hormone” that is released during exercise. Instantly your mood will be uplifted.

Additionally, within a 24 hour period your blood pressure will be lowered and you will experience improve focus due to increased blood and oxygen flowing to your brain.

HIIT Workouts

HIIT workouts (High Intensity Interval Training) are workouts that entail rotating between high and low intensity exercises. Research shows that HIIT workouts are effective, build muscle, and improve stamina. In addition, a 1996 study by Izumi Tabata found that short, intense workouts improve both aerobic and abaerobic capacity. Also, HIIT workout burn a lot of calories in a short time frame, are effective for cardiovascular health, the respitatory system and your metabolism. Long after a short intense workout, your body will continue burning calories. If you are bored with your regular exercise ritual, try out a HIIT workout! It can be as short as a 10 minute workout.

Create Your Own HIIT Workout

Did you know that you can create your own HIIT routine by incorporating any of your favourites sport activities? Whether you enjoy jogging outside, swimming, weight lifting, or skipping rope, you can benefit from a short, focused and intense session of exercise. For example, try running on a treadmill then slow down your pace and walk before returning to running. Give your best efforts when you are doing high intensity exercise, you should feel yourself giving 90% effort. Start off with 15 minute HIIT intervals, 3 times a week and increase your intervals time incrementally. In between your workouts give your body adequate time for the muscles to repair.

An Example of a HIIT Routine

• High intensity: do 3 rounds of the following exercises. For the first round to 10 reps, for the second round do 15, and for the third round do 20 reps. Jumping jacks, squats, and burpees.
• Low intensity: after finidhing the high intensity reps, do some low intensity cardio such as light jogging, or running in place. You should be exerting about 50% of your efforts.

Don’t let a busy schedule prevent you from doing your favourite exercises. Try these tips when squeezing in an easy workout and you will reap the benefits in the long run. Even a 10 minute HIIT workout is better than no workout at all.