If you told me years back that I could just workout for 15 minutes a day, and have it be an effective routine to follow, I would not have believed you.
My past beliefs told me that I needed to spend hours upon hours on cardio equipment to “burn more calories”.
My past beliefs also told me that I need to “burn off the food I ate”. Exercise was punishment instead of part of a healthy lifestyle. Boy am I so thankful I’m past that lie!
But let’s get back to the question at hand:
Is working out 15 minutes a day enough?
Science says yes! Researchers found that a 10 minute workout that included a 1 minute burst of high intensity exercise yielded the same benefits as a 45 minute moderate workout. That means you can workout for less time as long as you are efficient with it!
What are the recommendations?
For health benefits the CDC recommends these physical activity guidelines:
- Adults should move more and sit less throughout the day. Some physical activity is better than none. Adults who sit less and do any amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity gain some health benefits.
- For substantial health benefits, adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) to 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. Preferably, aerobic activity should be spread throughout the week.
- Additional health benefits are gained by engaging in physical activity beyond the equivalent of 300 minutes (5 hours) of moderate-intensity physical activity a week.
- Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities of moderate or greater intensity and that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these activities provide additional health benefits.
What does 75 minutes minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity look like?
That could be 15 minutes day, 5 days a week! During that time you’re working at a challenging level. If you’re thinking about your perceived level of exertion, that means around an 8-9 on a scale of 1-10 (1 being rest, 10 being so challenging you need to stop).
You can pair that intense work with short bouts of rest, as you would with high intensity interval training.
The biggest benefit of 15 minute workouts is this…
CONSISTENCY
Everybody can find 15 minutes of time to workout. 60 minutes can seem like a huge commitment. Heck, even 30 minutes can feel like a lot when you’ve got a lot going on (hello mom life).
But 15 minutes is doable.
And the most important piece in finding your healthy lifestyle is consistency.
Every workout will build on one another. You will get stronger and feel so great about your choices that you’ll want to keep sticking with it!
If you’ve been looking for a gentle way to jump start your healthy habits and you want support + encouragement along the way, I would love to have you join the 5 Day YOGA + STRENGTH Project from July 22-26!
Over the 5 days you will receive so much free goodness that will help you build that consistency habit:
- Daily 15 minute fitness yoga and strength training workout videos you can do anywhere
- An exclusive healthy, balanced, real food recipe that you can meal prep + enjoy every day to feel fueled + nourished
- A PDF guidebook for the 5 days
- Daily journal prompts to dive deeper into mind/body topics
- Support! We have a private facebook group for the project that will include live calls with me + prizes exclusive to the FB group
Enter your email + name and I’ll send you the welcome email right!
Do 15 minute workouts sound doable to you?
XO
Heather
PS: Want to read more about the 5 Day YOGA + STRENGTH Project? CLICK HERE!
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[…] Workouts don’t have to be 60 minutes long to reap amazing benefits for your body. In fact, shorter workouts may even be better for this reason: they’re more likely to […]