I recently ran a fall fitness challenge where participants completed one exercise a day for 30 days and a question that came up a lot at the beginning was "is this even worth it?"
My answer: absolutely YES!
Some participants found that doing that 1-5 minutes in the morning helped them be more active throughout the day. Taking walks on their lunch breaks, parking farther away at the store to get more steps in, or even motivating them to do a longer workout after work. One participant noted that even though it didn't seem like much day to day, they noticed a huge improvement over the month in their strength and their ease in doing the exercises. One even increased her plank time from :15s at the beginning of the challenge to over a minute at the end. Small habits can have BIG impacts!
So yes if all you have is 1 minute then I encourage you to do one minute! Are you so busy that you can't imagine fitting in a 10 minute workout let alone a 60 minute one? Look I get it, we're all busier than ever, and fitting in time for ourselves is just not possible some days. But what if we made do with what we have? Are you not going to drink your coffee because you don't have an hour to leisurely sip on it while reading a book? No you're going to throw that ish in a travel mug and sip on it whenever you can. So why aren't we approaching our health & fitness the same way?
I think it's ingrained in us that if we don't do an hour it's just not worth it, and I want you to know thats not true! I've worked with CEO's, stay at home parents, working parents who are also going to school, full time students and retiree's. They're all busy in different ways and all have different demands and priorities. Some are able to do an hour 3-4 times a week, and others squeeze in 20 minutes 2 times a week.
But what can I even do in a minute?!
The best exercise , aka the most bang for your buck exercise, is a plank.
I can already hear the ugghhh but I hate planks, well there are so many variations and different ways to challenge yourself, you’ll never get bored. Plus it’s a FULL body exercise!
If you absolutely hate planks not to worry… I suggest picking 4-5 exercises that you can rotate through several times a week. For example body weight exercises like jumping jacks, squats, push-ups, mountain climbers or even burpees if you’re into that. These exercises will improve strength and get your heart pumping without leaving you too sweaty or tired.
The more you do them, the easier they will be to do, and may even become as much a part of your morning routine as brushing your teeth or drinking your coffee.
It’d be great if we all had time to do 20-30 minutes or even 60 minutes each day but if that’s not the case, take advantage of what you can do, when you can do it. I've been known to sneak a few squats while brushing my teeth in the morning or pump out some counter top pushups if I know I'll be at the computer most of the day.
if you forget to do your 1 minute in the morning or wake up late, you could always do them in the evening while you’re watching TV or before you crawl into bed. Set an alarm or 2 to remind you to do it in the morning, at lunch or in the evening.
If working out before bed doesn’t sound like a great idea try gratitude journaling (writing down 3 things you're thankful for, or meditating for a few minutes (I love the peloton, headspace & calm apps and youtube for 1-5 minute meditations) . Even though meditating and journaling may not be a physical exercise, they can be beneficial for your mental health.
So what are your thoughts on ONE minute a day? Do you have ONE minute today to show yourself some love through movement?
xoxo,
Briana
