If you’ve ever found yourself claiming you can’t get fit because you “don’t have time”, then I have some bad news for you:
You don’t have excuses anymore.
That’s because a recent study has proved that if you have 2 ½ minutes, you have enough time to burn off at least 200 calories.
The study followed a group of healthy men, measuring their daily caloric burn.
They had them do five 30-second bursts of high-intensity training every other morning. That was it – other than those high-intensity sessions, the men were sedentary for the rest of the day.
When researchers compared the two days, they noticed a very interesting trend:
On the days when those men performed 2 ½ minutes of intense exercise, they burned an extra 200 calories throughout the day.
Further studies still need to be conducted, but this is still great news for people who just don’t have the time they need to burn off those calories.
It’s important to keep in mind that this study looked at intense training. That means doing 30-second bursts that really push your body to its limits… which means doing exercises like:
- High knees – pretend like you are jumping your way through tires on an obstacle course, lifting one knee up to your chest, then jump up to switch legs.
- Smurf jacks – these are like jumping jacks on steroids. It’s the same basic movement but you do it all in a catchers squat, so you really work your muscles through the movement.
- Mountain climbers – start out in a pushup position. Bring one knee to your chest at a time, alternating as quickly as possible without sacrificing form.
- Squat jumps – start with your legs about shoulder width apart. Bring your body into a squat position. When you come out of the squat, use the movement to propel yourself up into the air.
- Switch Jump lunges – bring yourself into a deep lunge position. Jump up into the air, switching your legs as you do.
Remember: you only need five 30-second bursts in order to get that 200 calorie burn…. So try out one of these power moves today.
Better yet – try all five! Circulating through different moves allows you to work different parts of your body, which means you’ll be able to get the most out of your workout.