April 6, 2016
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic activity. If this sounds unattainable given your current workload, look at it this way: do you have four minutes to spare?
“A Tabata workout is 20 seconds of activity, followed by 10 seconds of rest, for four minutes,” said Jessica Robinson, Program Coordinator at the Crim Fitness Foundation. “It’s an easy way to break up the monotony of your day.”
For instance, you might practice a high-knee march for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, and then repeat that interval eight times. If you do this five times throughout the day, you will have logged in at least 20 minutes of moderate physical activity by the time you go bed.
To keep things interesting, Robinson recommends practicing different exercises for each Tabata (or even switching between two different workouts during a given four minutes). Potential options include jogging in place, seated side bends, chair planks, etc.
If it’s early in the morning, try a gentle warm-up, such as arm circles or floor-to-ceiling reaching. To help improve flexibility, incorporate stretches like a seated hamstring stretch, which involves touching your toes on an outstretched leg.
Robinson said the benefits of implementing regular exercise into your schedule include increased energy, improved mood and decreased risk of disease, to name a few.
For more information about the Crim Fitness Foundation, visit www.crim.org.