Stay Fit in Less Time
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Stay Fit in Less Time 20-minute cycle workout 20-minute run Endurance Flexibility Strength << back to Work/Life Balance << back to ANF Women's Forum |
If you’re swamped with running a newsagency, the last thing you need is added guilt over not working out regularly. So here’s some good news: research has shown that you can maintain your fitness with just a fraction of your usual routine. This article is re-printed courtesy of
Women's Health magazine. Stay Fit in Less Time When your schedule is as loaded as a Sherpa on Everest, there are days, weeks, even months when you simply can’t make it to the gym. Sometimes, even squeezing in a lunchtime walk feels impossible. But that doesn’t mean you’re destined to morph into Sharon Strzelecki (minus the netball). Studies show you can stop the slide towards blubber by doing just one- to two-thirds the exercise you usually do. “Women make the mistake of thinking, ‘If I can’t do my full routine, why bother?” says Bob Barber, co-director of Military Fitness Australia, an army-style training camp. “But one workout a week will maintain your strength short-term. And if you exercise at the same or greater intensity, you can keep your fitness while doing much less than usual, as long as you watch your diet and get back to your usual routine as soon as you can.” Just how long will this kind of bare-minimum workout keep you in decent shape? If you can exercise for 20 minutes once a week, you can preserve fitness for up to two months – plenty of time, we hope, for whatever’s clogging your schedule to ease up. Until then, here’s precisely the least you need to do to keep your endurance, strength and flexibility intact. Balance row Works biceps, core, glutes, and upper back Grab a dumbbell in each hand and let your arms hang at your sides, palms facing in. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Bend forward while extending your left leg straight behind you until your body forms a “T”. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and bring your elbows toward the ceiling. Do five or six reps, then switch legs and repeat. That’s one set. 
Back: Pretend you’re squeezing a tennis ball between your shoulder blades as you pull the weights toward your chest.
Glutes: Tighten your glutes to take pressure off your back. Hips: Keep hips square to the floor. Avoid raising the hip of your lifted leg. Abs: Draw your navel toward your spine and contract your abs for balance. Neck: Keep neck in line with spine. Arms: Keep shoulders down and elbows close to your body as you row. |
