Everyone is pressed for time these days, so it often feels like it’s almost impossible to find the time to fit in an hour, or even a half-hour long workout every day. Unfortunately, sometimes trying to find that time can add to stress and anxiety, make you feel like a failure, and before you know it, you’ve given up before you’ve even begun. But there’s hope. Because if you’re trying to get healthy and fit to increase longevity and quality of life, wondering if short workouts do anything for your body, the answer is an emphatic yes.
Research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM) found that as little as 30 minutes of strength training per week is associated with up to a 20% lower risk of death from all causes. The researchers reviewed 16 different studies and found that strength was a powerful insurance policy against the grim reaper, especially when it comes to protecting against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.
More good news: research has shown that this applies to cardio, too. Another study published in BJSM found 1-hour of aerobic exercise per week can lower your mortality risk by up to 15 percent. It’s not a competition, but you could argue that building strength is the most efficient form of exercise to improve your lifespan. And, if you can make time — ideally — you’ll combine cardio and strength to give your body everything it needs.
If you want to protect your health, make it easy on yourself. Block off 10 minutes per day, 3 times per week. If you don’t want to go to a gym, the study found that bodyweight exercises also give you the same health protection. So you can perform movements like squats, lunges, pushups, bodyweight rows, and pullups.
The short workouts might not seem like much, but if you do those 10 minute workouts and push your body at least three times per week, the investment will add up and make a big difference.
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