Think you’re too busy to work out? Think again! These 5 minute exercises are incredibly effective and you can do them anywhere!
5 Minute Exercises You Can Do Anywhere
When I talk to other moms, the number one reason for not exercising is that they are “too busy” or don’t have enough time.
Believe me, I get it! With two kids and a full-time business, exercise sometimes gets put on the back burner. Or I’ll plan on working out in the evening, but before I know what’s happened, it’s 9 o’clock and all I want to do is curl up in bed and catch up on my DVR shows!
But taking care of our bodies is crucial to being our best selves and being healthy and happy to take care of the ones we love. So I really try to make exercise a priority.
The good news?
You don’t need to spend hours at the gym to get results. In fact, I have a list of 5 minute exercises that I use regularly to help tone up, burn calories, and lose weight anytime, anywhere.Â
Why do 5 minute exercises work?
There are a couple reasons that short, intense 5 minute strength training exercises get the job done:
- Muscle burns more calories than fat at rest (source). So if you strengthen your muscles, you’ll burn more calories when you’re not working out. (Unlike cardio exercises that burn calories mostly during the time you’re doing them). I’m not saying that cardio is a waste, but if you have a limited time to exercise, a quick strength training routine may be the most efficient option!
- Science shows that it’s not how long you exercise, but rather, how hard that matters. A recent study by the University of Utah found that “intensity of the activity matters more than duration.” Intense five minute workouts throughout the day can be just as effective, if not more so, than one longer but less intense routine.
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My Favorite Five Minute Workouts
5 Minute Glute Toning Workout — This is a quick booty-blasting routine I created years and years ago, and I still do it because it works! Seriously, you will FEEL this one right away!
This glute workout takes about five minutes and helps lift and tone. There’s even a video demo to show you exactly how it’s done!
5 Minute Pilates Series of Five Ab Routine — I’ve practiced pilates for almost 15 years. The ab portion of the traditional pilates routine is a series of 5 moves that takes about 5 minutes and it hits ALL of your ab muscles. Do this alone or after your regular cardio or weight regime for an extra dose of ab work.
Morning Yoga Routine — My oldest daughter and I do this set of quick stretches every morning to help wake up our minds and bodies. It’s easy to modify and definitely gets your day started in a positive way. This is also a great way to involve the kids and teach them healthy lifestyle choices at an early age.
P90X3 Basic Workout Kit — I used P90X3 to get rid of my baby weight three years ago…this system works! Each of the workouts is 30 minutes, but the bonus Abs DVD is just over 5 minutes, so you can get a quick ab session in a hurry.
5 Minute Dumbbell Routine to Get Rid of Arm Jiggle — This routine from Shape.com covers all the major muscles of your arms in just a few minutes!
5 Minute Pushup/Pull-Up Burnout — It’s hard to beat the classics! At the end of one of my favorite P90X3 videos, the class finishes with a “burnout” round. My arms are JELLO when I’m done! Start with 1 push-up and 1 pull-up, then increase to 2 push-ups and 2 pull-ups, then 3 of each, etc. Keep going until you can’t do anymore! (It probably won’t take more than 5 minutes!)
Click here to learn how to do a pushup (the right way) and why you should.
Playground Workout for Busy Moms — Not only is a trip to the park an excellent way to keep kids fit and active, it’s an opportunity to squeeze in some exercise time for you too! Playground equipment can be just as effective as expensive gym equipment, with lots of bars, stairs, unstable bridges, and more to utilize for a full body workout.
Power Walking — I love walking because you can do it anytime, anywhere! Increase your speed, add weights or incline (if you have access to a treadmill) and you can really get the blood pumping in a short time! Sometimes I get so into my walk that I go way longer than five minutes, which is great if you have extra time!
Want to know how to make walking more effective? Click here for tried and true tricks from healthy living blogger Sara at My Think Big Life.
Want to see my weight loss story?
So you can see that I’m not just making all this up, I took the plunge and shared my own postpartum weight loss journey on the blog! Mainly because I wanted to show that I’m just a regular person who lost weight without gimmicks or crazy fad diets.
I even shared my own before and after photos (which was a totally scary thing to do!!) because I think that seeing is even more convincing than simply reading about what I did.
During my last pregnancy I gained almost 45 pounds (which is a lot on a 5’3″ frame!) For some reason I expected the baby weight to just drop right off since I was in shape before I got pregnant. I’d heard that breastfeeding makes weight loss easier…
But it didn’t.
Bummer!
However, I didn’t give up.
It took months of work, but I got back into my pre-baby jeans without dieting and only working out at home in my spare time. If I can do it, you can do it too!
Click here to see my before/after photo and read more about how I lost weight while breastfeeding.
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Bethany Learn says
These are great! I especially appreciate what you said about walking and going to the playground. I’ve filmed a lot of 5 minute workout videos for my clients on Fit2B because that’s all we have during some seasons, right?! Maintaining consistency is more important than intensity, and something is always better than nothing. I’d be happy to share one with you to display here if you like? Let me know!