Movement Snacks: An Easy and Proven Way To Meet Your Fitness Goals in 2024

How To Integrate Fitness Into Your Life, even with the busiest schedule

It is that time of the year to look back on the last 12 months.

The good, the bad.

What went well, and what didn`t?

I assume health-related goals were part of your game plan for 2023.

Perhaps making fitness a priority was meant for this year.

You to set appointments for your workouts. 2-3 strength sessions and 1 cardio per week.

I can do that. That is what you think until your life takes over.

You hear your to-do list screaming at you: “Did you really think it would be so easy.”

It`s me-time vs. family time. You decide for your family and tell yourself, “Next time….”

What do you feel? Is it disillusionment, disappointment, anger?

The constant juggling of obligations gets in the way of the most disciplined person.

Time is limited, and so is our willpower.

In fact, time constraints may be the Number 1 reason not to meet your Fitness goals.

There is an alternative to setting lofty goals and not reaching them in 2024.

Mini-Workouts

If you struggle to include 30-45 minute exercise sessions into your schedule, you need a different approach.

Consider Mini-Workouts.

These shorter sessions take the place of one longer workout by breaking up a continuous routine into several smaller ones.

Instead of doing your workout in one bout, you split it up into 3-4 bouts of 7-10 minutes of workout.

Effects

Your picture of exercise might be flawed:

It takes tons of time, effort, and a change of clothes to call it a workout. Wrong.

Mini-workouts fit into your busy schedule. Or do you want to tell me that you don't find 10 minutes for 2-3 times a day. Didn`t think so.

Hours of sitting at a desk take a toll on your physical and mental health. Mini-workouts break up this pattern and provide instant energy. They trigger blood flow in your body, making you feel energized and ready to refocus on your work.

From a psychological point of view, shorter bouts are easily digestible.

Many exercise newbies do not see results, because they set their goals too high.

The reverse is true with mini-workouts. They are low-hanging fruits. If you like the taste of this fruit, you may want it more often.

How about overall health effects? Studies did not find differences between continuous and accumulated exercise on health.

The effects are more far-reaching, such as lowering your blood pressure, stress reduction, or an improvement in your mood.

Any constraints?

Can a single 7-10 minute mini-workout replace a full grown 30-45 minute-workout?

Of course not.

More movement is always better than none, but aim for more than one bout of a mini-exercise.

Bottom line is that you can meet your fitness goals with mini-workouts.

Make Mini-Workouts Work For You

Nothing ever comes naturally, before it becomes a habit.

Plan ahead:

Which activities do you enjoy the most at certain times?

If you are a person who enjoys movement early in the morning, a walk can help you wake up and feel energized.

Have another slot in the afternoon? How about doing a movement snack with a higher intensity?

A final and 3rd slot in the evening: Include a yoga session or you focus on a body part that you missed in the first 2 sessions.

Schedule: Place the mini-workouts in your calendar.

It is all in the mix

Distributing your mini-workout over the day can ensure that you find a nice balance between strength, cardio, and movement or flexibility.

The other focus should be to target all body parts. It can either be done in one day or distributed over different days.

Training Format

Tabata-style training works well with Mini-Workouts

• 5 exercises

• 2 minutes each exercise with a work-rest ratio of 1:1 (30 seconds on, 30 seconds off)

• depending on your fitness level, the work-rest ratio can be altered

If 10 minutes is still tricky to fit in, consider shorter, bite-size workouts.

Here’s a format to follow for shorter bursts of exercise:

• Select two to three exercises from options like bicep curls, shoulder presses, bodyweight squats, calf raises, lunges, or planks.

• Set a timer for 3 minutes and engage in 30 seconds of one exercise, then transition to another for 30 seconds. Alternate between them until the 3 minutes elapse.

Looking for ways to make the most of a few spare minutes?

Here are some ideas for quick mini workouts you can squeeze in during various moments: while on a phone call, taking a short work break, cheering on your child at sports practice, or even at the playground.

Feel free to mix and match from this list or add your own movements. Aim for 3 minutes of activity, repeated 10 times throughout the day.

Movement-Snacks

• Waiting for our coffee in the kitchen: Press your weight up on your tiptoes, for 30 seconds. Follow up with 30 seconds of lunges

• Keep a set of dumbbells under your desk at work. Utilize them during phone calls or breaks for 30 seconds for each of the bicep curls and shoulder presses. If you have a sturdy chair, add a 30-second set of tricep dips. Aim for a total workout time of 3 to 5 minutes.

• While on a call, press your weight up from your chair in slow motion. Do not use the armrests. 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of rest.

• Make the most of the stairs at home by doing 30 seconds of double step-ups each time you pass by. Keep track of the number of sets you complete in a day to stay motivated and on track with your fitness goals.

10 Minute Mini-Workouts

For 10-minute blocks of time, try one of the following mini workouts.

Bodyweight Workout

Repeat this cycle as many times as possible within the 10-minute workout duration, with each exercise starting at the full minute and lasting for 30 seconds. Adjust the timing or exercises based on your fitness level and preferences.

Dumbbell Workout

Repeat this cycle as many times as possible within the 10-minute workout duration. Adjust the weight or exercises based on your fitness level and preferences.

Movement-Snack-Summary

Finding time to exercise can be a lot easier when you break up one longer session into bite-size workouts.

By performing shorter bouts of movement several times a day, you meet the guidelines of the World Health Organization (150 minutes at moderate intensity or 75 higher intensity + strength training twice a week). You also reap the benefits of exercise even when short on time.

Trust me, all the time you spend moving your body adds up, and you'll develop a habit in no time. We understand how busy life can get, but fitting in fitness is important.