The 10-Minute Workout

 

There are days and maybe even seasons in our lives where we might not have time to do 20 minutes of strength training or 30 minutes of cardio let alone a full 45–60-minute fitness class. And you know what, that's okay! Studies have shown that adding just minutes of moderate to intense exercise can reduce heart disease, cancer risk and improve body composition (think more muscle, less fat). 

So, what do you do in those few minutes a day? (And for our purposes, let's call it 10-minutes.) If you have just 10 minutes to work out, make it count with metabolic training. Metabolic training is just a fancy way to say "burn as many calories as possible during and after your workout."

My favorite way to train this way is the EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute) workout. The EMOM is a metabolic training technique in which a person does a set list of exercises at the beginning of every minute. The faster you do them (with good form, of course), the more rest you get before the next set starts (which is at the beginning of the next minute).  

Here are 2 EMOM workouts to get you started. Simply look at a clock with a second hand, when that hand hits 12, start your set. When 10 minutes is up, which should be 10 sets, you're finished!

EMOM #1: 

8 Pushups

8 Mountain Climbers

8 Bicycle Crunches

3 Burpees

EMOM #2

8 Deadlifts

8 Back Lunges

8 Jumping Jacks

8 Jump Squats

Enjoy!

3 Keys to Recovery for Fitness Success!

What is your main focus when you workout? How heavy you're lifting? The length of your run or bike or swim? How fast you can finish those 3 miles? Just getting through that barre class at the gym? 

All of those are great things to focus on...but what about recovery from each of those activities? Because without recovery when we stress our bodies with exercise the following can happen:

• strength gains can be difficult to achieve
• fat loss can stop, or increase
• exhaustion can set in
• injuries can occur
• mood can get low

Some of these things can happen right away, but more often, they sneak up on us and can become chronic (I know this from experience). 

Proper recovery should be part of our fitness routines so that we can live fit and healthy for the long term.

So, what are some recovery strategies that can help us reach our goals? 

I'm glad you asked! 

Here are some simple ones to incorporate. 

1. Sleep. Yep, sleep is the most important thing we can do to recover from all sorts of things, including exercise. As adults, we need 7-8 hours of sleep per 24-hour period (some of us need more than that as well). If you need to get your sleep under control, check out the to-dos and no-to-dos in this article to get the best night sleep.
2. Nutrition. We all know that what we put in our body fuels our day-to-day activities and our workouts. So how can we use nutrition to properly recover from exercise? It's two-fold
• Hydration.
• Making sure we are hydrated properly is super important. The recommendation for    water intake is 1/2 your bodyweight in ounces. For example, if you weight 180lbs, you should be drinking 90 oz of water a day. If you are doing a sweaty workout, you might drink an additional 4oz of water for every 15 minutes of sweat-time.
• Food.
• Food is fuel and calories are energy. Making sure we are taking in enough fuel/energy to power our workouts is essential (as is not taking in too much fuel/energy). To calculate your daily fuel needs, check out the Mayo Clinic daily calorie calculator here.
• The type of food you put in your body also matters. Focusing on getting lean proteins (chicken, fish, turkey, tofu, beans), a plentiful variety of vegetables and fruit (they contain a bunch of essential vitamins and minerals for recovery), fats (avocado, olive oil, nuts) and whole food carbs (potatoes, corn, whole grains) are important to help our body recover from vigorous activity.
3. Rest. Yep. You need rest days for your muscles to recover from a hard workout. Our muscles typically can recover and be ready for another session in 36-48 hours. That means if you have a long run, waiting 2 days to do another one is advisable. If you do leg day on Monday, don't do another leg day until at the soonest Wednesday. And if you feel like you need more time, take it!

Something else to consider are alternative recovery resources.  It seems as though there is a device, therapy and routine for everyone that are used to speed recovery. Some are well researched and proven and others are individual preference but might not have the proof to support use (but might feel good). Make sure to research any alternative recovery source you try and talk with your doctor before engaging in any of these to make sure they are right for you.  Here are some examples.

• Infared Saunas
• Cold Therapy (plunges/cold showers)
• Massage
• Acupuncture
• Foam rolling
• Stretch gyms

Whatever you use to help you recover from your workouts, make sure that your fitness routine has rest and recovery built into it for the most benefits (and least injury)!