Why Easy Workouts Aren’t A Shortcut

4 Reasons Why Easy Workouts Aren't A Shortcut

When you think about fitness, easy doesn’t always come to mind. We often associate the need for challenge and intense workouts with achieving our health goals. You don’t have to struggle through excruciatingly tough workout routines to have an effective exercise regimen-- especially if you’re not enjoying the process. Easy workouts can yield many health benefits and achieve amazing results-- all while having fun and not making you feel like you’re dying. So step away from stressful, painful high-octane routines that make you hate exercising. It’s time to be kind to yourself and embrace some fun, easier methods. Here’s why easy workouts can actually help instead of hinder.

1. How to determine ‘easy’

Sometimes, we need to reframe what we consider “easy workouts.” For some people, easy means anything less than 30 minutes to an hour. But you don’t have to work out non stop for a long block of time to claim your workout was effective. Breaking up your workout time throughout the day can help make it easier for you to do while still yielding many of the same benefits. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion says that aerobic activity lasting longer than 10 minutes total counts toward the recommended amount of exercise each week (150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous cardio weekly). “A 5-to-10 minute workout, if done consistently, coupled with building as much cardio into your daily life by doing things like walking the dog and taking the stairs every chance you get, can all add up to get you in shape,” Michael Joyner, M.D., an exercise researcher at the Mayo Clinic said in an interview with NBC News. “Maybe not in enough shape to do the Iron Man, but definitely in shape.” A study from the University of Utah found that short bursts of fitness-- even movements lasting only a minute-- could help with decreasing your BMI. The women and men in the study who incorporated these short bursts of easy workouts into their everyday lives decreased their BMI compared to the control group participants. While the results didn’t show a significant decrease by these minimal efforts, they were consistently evident throughout the study. This led researchers to conclude that focusing on the length of time for a workout doesn’t necessarily equal significant results and that every little bit counts. This is especially true if you focus on the amount of effort and energy you put into those quick fitness sessions — such as a quick power walk from the back of the grocery store parking lot or a five-minute brain break on your MaxiClimber.

2. It can still burn fat

A common fear when considering easy workouts is worrying that you won’t burn as much fat since it’s not an intense workout. However, science shows that your workout routine can still burn a significant amount of fat even if you’re not engaging in extended, rigorous fitness programs. A study published in the journal Circulation found that short bursts of exercise lasting roughly 12 minutes long can actually help improve your overall metabolism. In fact, these shorter workouts helped activate 80 percent of the body’s metabolites in the study’s participants. This activation leads to weight loss and overall better cardiometabolic health. According to Glenn Gaesser, a professor of exercise science and health promotion and director of the Healthy Lifestyles Research Center at Arizona State University, as long as your short spurts of exercise reach 70 percent of your maximum heart rate, you will see significant health benefits. He worked on a study that followed young adults who engaged in short bursts of interval training and compared their results to others who did longer workouts. Overall, the participants had similar results regarding fat loss and improved cardiovascular health, regardless of the length of time they worked out in one sitting. In an interview with NBC News, he gave the example of focusing on 2 minutes of moderately intense workouts every hour during your workday — such as a brisk two-minute walk. “This might be useful for people at work who don’t have time for a ‘real’ workout,” Gaesser said.

 

3. It can help with appetite control

Short workouts do more for achieving your health goals than simply boosting your metabolism. It can actually curb your appetite. One study found that short mini-sessions of fitness produced the same amount of the protein that controls appetite in obese participants’ blood-- regardless of whether they worked out for an hour each day or for five minutes 12 times a day. Not only that, but when surveyed, the participants who performed the shorter workouts reported feeling an average of 32 percent fuller throughout the day. Intermittent workouts actually improved their feeling of satiety. Managing a healthy diet is one of the most difficult balances to achieve when working toward health and weight loss goals. Being able to curb your appetite to prevent overeating is a significant benefit to adopting these kinds of low-pressure, easy workouts.

4. It offers countless benefits

Intense workouts aren’t the only way to achieve peak health and performance. The Mayo Clinic says that doing moderate exercise for 30 minutes a day can have countless health benefits that will improve your overall quality of life. From preventing cancer and osteoporosis to managing type 2 diabetes and improving cholesterol and blood pressure levels-- it doesn’t have to be a lot of physical activity to change your life. Research shows that while 30 minutes a day is recommended, it doesn’t have to be continuous. One study found that breaking it into smaller 10-minute workout routines throughout the day yielded multiple health benefits, especially regarding mental health. Some of the mental health benefits that science says easy workouts can help obtain are:

• Improvement in mood
• Improved sleep
• Stress relief
• Reduced tiredness that can increase mental alertness
• Reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety

Easy workouts are no shortcuts. They’re just making fitness easier to manage and maintain, and that’s the real goal for all of us.

5. How MaxiClimber can help

MaxiClimber is the perfect addition to your workout routine, especially if you’re strapped for time. Ten minutes on the MaxiClimber can yield incredible results, especially when compared to traditional cardio equipment like the treadmill and elliptical. Research shows that not only will the MaxiClimber help you burn more calories in the same amount of time on these machines, but you’ll also get the added benefit of toning and strengthening your muscles significantly more than those other pieces of equipment. Easy workouts can change your life because they actually fit into it. No more stressing over hitting a certain amount of time at the gym or feeling down on yourself because you aren’t doing an intricate circuit of cardio and weightlifting with every piece of gym equipment possible.

MaxiClimber makes a full-body workout attainable, accessible and fun. Simply hop on for ten minutes when you can fit it in and watch as your health goals come within reach. The best part? You don’t have to do your workout routine alone.

Joining the MaxiClimber community means you’ll have access to our incredible coaches and fitness videos to help guide you on your health journey. It’s almost like having a personal trainer right at your fingertips. With tools like these, your easy workouts just got even easier. Click here to learn more about how

MaxiClimber can help fit your fitness schedule into your life in a way you can truly enjoy.