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We’ve all been there: The day gets away from us and that hour-long trip to the gym turns into a few spare minutes before dinner. Is it worth it to hop into your workout clothes for a quick 10-minute workout? Or should you just cut your losses and try again tomorrow?
Do short workouts really make a difference?
People assume that if they don’t have a lot of time, it’s not even worth trying to squeeze in a workout. But the truth is that completing a short workout daily can really make a difference for your health. Studies show that exercising for just 10 minutes can boost your physical fitness, energy and mood.
In fact, there’s a lot of research to support short workouts. A recent study found that taking an 11 minute daily walk can reduce your risk of disease and early death. Another recent study showed that “exercise snacks” — short bouts of exercise — can be an effective way to boost your fitness levels.
One study showed that a 10-minute burst of activity can boost your brain power. And another study found that those who exercised for 10 minutes with one minute of high-intensity intervals saw the same improvement in insulin sensitivity and other markers of cardiometabolic health as those who exercised at a moderate pace for 45 minutes straight.
In other words, there is ample research touting the benefits of short workouts — so there’s no reason to skip a quick workout! It really does add up.
What’s the best workout to do if I only have 10 minutes?
So, yes, quick workouts really do make a difference, which leads us to the question of which workouts we should do given our time constraints. If you’re already short on time, you probably don’t want to spend it parsing through multitudes of workout options. The good news is that which workout you choose depends on your goals and how you want to feel afterwards. There isn’t…
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