It all adds up

~ Chocolaterunsjudy

badds up

You don’t have to spend an hour — or more — at a time to get fit. In fact, I would argue that if you work out for an hour, then sit on your butt the rest of the day, you’re probably losing more fitness than you’re gaining.

It’s much easier to fit in 10 minutes than a full hour. It can be a lot harder than you think, too!

Fitness here . . . fitness there . . .
I’m know Mr. Judy isn’t fond of when I pace around the house (although the dogs have pretty much gotten used to that). I try to pay attention to when my Garmin tells me it’s time to move.

Sure, there are times (plenty of them!) that I ignore it, but for the most part, I’ll get up and walk around until my move bar is cleared.

blittle bursts

A little bit goes a long way
I’m really fond of sprinkling fitness throughout the day, rather than one big chunk at a time. Yoga in the morning. Or a run. Maybe some stationary bike action before lunch. Strength training or core work or Pilates in the afternoon.

With the exception of running, a lot of these things may take only 10-20 minutes. Almost everyone has a 10 minute break here and there throughout their day. You’ll feel more energized if you move through it.

All those little 10 minute bouts of fitness? They add up. They also keep your metabolism humming along much better than going hard for an hour and then sitting the rest of the day.

gwy 21D bed
It feels great to stretch out before you even get up!

It starts when you wake up
On the rare occasions Mr. Judy is up before I am, I take advantage of it to stretch out before I even leave my bed. As I wait for my tea to steep first thing in the morning, I’m doing pushups against my counter and squats. Gotta break up that fascia when you get up! For more on fascia, see this post here.

Even 5 minutes is better than nothing
You may think that you can’t break a sweat in just 5 minutes. There are lots of 5 minute workouts out there that can change your mind! No gym? No problem.

YouTube is overflowing with free fitness videos. Check out Marcia’s YouTube Channel here. Check out Pahla B’s YouTube Channel here . And search for her Hot 100 series from a couple of years ago — they’re short, but they’re not easy! The Peloton App here is chock full of short (and long) workouts! It’s not free, but it can be free for 30 days. Of course there is my own channel which you’ll find here.

Do you try to sprinkle fitness throughout your day? 

Do you think short workouts can still be hard?

What’s your best tip for getting fitness into your day? 

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Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

This week I am also joining up with the new Runners’ Roundup linkup.

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24 thoughts on “It all adds up”

  1. Micro workouts! I love this, Judy!
    I’m a big fan of doing this throughout the day. At irregular intervals, I just fall to the floor and do pushups. At the end of the day, I often have 40 or more pushups.
    And I still do your yoga stretches before I get out of bed – that has become a solid routine now.
    And I also heed my Garmin’s warning to get moving. I think it’s really important to get away from the sitting position in front of a screen.

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  2. Great ideas if you don’t work. Though I’m sure some can be done depending on your job.

    A little tough when you are wearing a headset and training on the computer all day.

    But I do move more because it’s summer and I can get outside and walk.

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    1. I pace a lot . . . usually I do try to do different forms of movement throughout the day. Today I had some work that had to be done at the computer and errands to run. Unofficial rest day.

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  4. Runfession time. So before I started running, I pretty much sat. Sat at home and sat at work. And I used to mock (for lack of a better word) my husband who swears by 7-minute workouts. I would scoff, What’s that going to do? Well, it does a lot!!!! Even when my husband wasn’t actively training, either running or cycling, his fitness levels were maintained. He moved a lot and threw in those 7-minute workouts whenever he could. Let’s just say I could mock no longer. The results spoke for themselves!

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  5. When I first started working out I remember thinking that I had to get in an hour of working for it to count. No clue why I thought that! Now I’m a firm believer in getting in at least 30 minutes of some type of movement a day. Lately I’ve been really enjoying doing 5-10 minute yoga classes, stretches or meditation classes. I usually do it mid-day to provide a break from work.

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  6. All I have to do is walk outside and I break a sweat LOL! Does that count?

    I do try to stay active all day. In fact, I rarely sat down prior to breaking my leg. Now I have to take things a little easier, but that’s ok.

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    1. I still sit to much, I know.

      Yes, down there it’s ungodly right now. Not that our summer has been a cakewalk either, although we’ve had a few cool days this week finally. Cause mid 80s is now cool. 🙂

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  7. Absolutely!!!! I seldom have the time, or patience, for anything longer than 30 minutes. A lot of my workouts are 20 minutes, as well. It’s easy, in my opinion, to do several short bursts of fitness throughout the day… it maintains the metabolism 🙂

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    1. When I belonged to a gym obviously I used to do hour long classes. That’s about 10 years ago. I do like that — you push harder when you’re in a group. I also like the simplicity of working out at home!

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  8. So true! I feel so much better when I move regularly throughout the day. That has definitely been a perk of working from home! Most days I get our for an afternoon walk, and I spend some time stretching throughout the day too.

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  9. During the school year I walked a lot more during the day. Now not so much. I took a meditation class today and while I wasn’t moving, it wasn’t that bad either. I am going to check out the other classes offered by Peloton.

    Thank you for linking up with us!

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    1. Meditating isn’t moving, but I personally think it’s SO important — for everyone. I only wish I could convince people of that! I’m wrapping up a 30 hour class on meditation this week, as a matter of fact.

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      2. Really, mostly, you don’t. You have to detach from your thoughts and feelings. It’s not about not having them — because we all do, all the time. It’s about not being so attached to them, so that you can find a sense of calm & peace. The more you practice, the easier it is to get to that calm space — and not just when you’re meditating.

        It can really help to set an intention for your meditation. Like anything in life, when you have an intention, it suddenly becomes more meaningful.

        Ok, back off my soapbox. 🙂

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  10. You’re so right, every little bit helps. I was doing daily walks during the work week back in May, and even a 20-minute walk made a huge difference. I need to get back to it, even if it’s only for a couple of blocks!

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    1. I actually used to walk a lot more. We still walk the dogs every day, although now that my husband is home and I get out so early to run, on the days I run he usually walks the dogs. Lola can’t tolerate the heat very well. I used to run, then walk the dogs, or walk the dogs, then run. And then sometimes we’d go on a second walk when he got home from work.

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  11. When I first started working from home I might take a mid-day or mid-afternoon break to fit in an OTF Zoom class, but I haven’t done that in a while. I also was taking a late afternoon break to take Scooby out, but lately my husband has been doing that, so I’m back to being sedentary after my morning workout. 😛

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