Working out despite little time. If you have children, a busy job, or otherwise lack the time or motivation to go to the gym regularly, this article may be a godsend for you.
I have little time, how can I still exercise?
Indeed, many people think that they are only being healthy if they never snack and have to wear themselves out in the gym two nights every week. When this succeeds and you enjoy it, this is of course fine, but in the long run not many people keep this up. It takes too much time and discipline, especially in today’s busy lives. In this article we explain that you can also do a few exercises at home and achieve good results with a few small workouts. So much less effort and still nice and fit.
Muscle Development
When your time is limited, it is best to focus on muscle development rather than endurance. So the workouts that strengthen your endurance such as running on a treadmill for hours on end are no longer going to be done. These exercises take too much time and hardly result in muscle strengthening. No more endurance sports, but strength sports. Strength sports? Is that even for me? Trust me, a few exercises using the kitchen sink or stairs will produce results quickly. Reserve 5-10 minutes three times a week for a few explosive exercises.
Why is muscle strengthening important?
Well-developed muscles increase calorie burning. Even if you do nothing but have more muscle mass your body burns much more energy so that dieting is not necessary (anymore). When you are stronger, exercise becomes easier and more fun. Your cholesterol levels drop as well as excess body fat. This reduces the risk of heart attack. Strength training helps maintain blood sugar levels. It also reduces muscle and joint pain, improves sleep and improves self-confidence. So strength training is just really good for your health and takes much less time.
What can I do at home
Planking
The very best complete exercise out there is planking or planking. For basic planking, you lie down on your stomach first. You then put your elbows under your shoulders and your toes into the floor. Press your upper body up on your forearms and also lift your legs off the floor.
You now make a plank as straight as possible while leaning on your forearms and toes. If you perform the plank properly, it trains almost your entire body. The exercise can be performed anywhere and takes more effort than you think. Start with a few seconds and see if you can build it up to 45 seconds or a minute. If you just do this exercise three times a week you will already notice results.
High Jump
Jump into the air as explosively as possible several times. Swing your arms up during the jump to make the jump even higher and more powerful. While landing, bend your knees to absorb the impact with your muscles. Jump right after this.
Press against a rise
Train your arm muscles by pushing up against the kitchen counter or stairs several times. Find a height that you can just hold up a few times. It’s not about the numbers but the explosive short workout.
Exercises with light weights
These can be 0.5 ml bottles of water. Train your arm muscles by holding a weight in your hand at the level of your collarbone. Then slowly lower your arm until the arm is almost but not fully extended. Let your arm gently return to your shoulder. Repeat several times.
Airsquats
Yet another easy effective exercise to train the buttocks and upper legs. Place your feet hip-width apart and sink through your knees. Keep your torso upright and raise your arms forward. Repeat several times.
If you fill 5 to 10 minutes three times a week with these exercises and perform them as well and vigorously as possible, you will feel fitter, stronger and proud. You can then exercise despite little time.
