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Fitness doesn't have to mean pounding it out for an hour before or after work. Sure, that may be effective, but you don't have to take an all-or-nothing approach to see results. Here, check out doable, expert-recommended ideas for 10-, 20-, 30-, and 60-minute ways to work it out.
Fitness doesn't have to mean pounding it out for an hour before or after work. Sure, that may be effective, but you don't have to take an all-or-nothing approach, says Amy Dixon, a personal trainer whose newest DVD is Give Me 10! 10 Minute Workouts for a Total Body Tone Up (Stockyard, 2009).
Exercise doesn't have to be done in the gym for 60 minutes straight. That approach can set you up for failure, she cautions. Indeed, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh studying 139 women found that those who exercised 10 minutes several times a day were more successful, both with gaining fitness and sticking to a routine, than their counterparts who exercised in a single longer session. Here Dixon, also the group fitness manager at Equinox Fitness Clubs in Santa Monica, California, offers routines and tips for four different chunks of time10, 20, 30, and 60 minutesso that those frustrating lulls (your kid's soccer practice, waiting for the cable guy) can become the most productive workouts of your day.
