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Quick and Effective Workouts for Busy Schedules

We've all been there - the desire to do a workout, but with time slipping through our fingers, the 90-minutes we had set aside now look like 30 minutes. It becomes too easy to adopt an all-or-nothing attitude and skip the workout altogether, sacrificing consistency and all of the implications of this.

Our Pocket Workouts are designed so that you can do them quickly and simply, with no equipment required. Consistency is the most important factor that makes training successful.  Keeping the workouts short and easy will increase consistency and get you closer to your health and fitness goals. Our Pocket Workouts allow you to get something done, anytime, anywhere.

What are the benefits of these workouts?

  • they are short (under 20 minutes)
  • they are simple
  • they are effective
  • they are fun

When Not to Train

There are days and situations where you should not work out. If you have not slept well, eaten well, or have something overwhelming in your life, a workout might just worsen things. On those days we recommend deploying our Move Slowly Lots Healthy Habit and just taking a walk anywhere from 30-60 minutes.

Also, if you have an injury do not aggravate it by working out. Either skip it or work around it. If you are injured check with your physiotherapist about what you can and cannot do. Dismissing injuries just to hit the session and finding out you are making yourself worse is not the direction you should be going. This strategy will come back to bite you and will only impact your consistency down the line.

Hitting the goals you want is an amalgamation of taking care of your body through lifestyle choices: eating, sleeping, and exercising at the appropriate doses. When one of these pillars falls by the wayside, it affects the benefits you can derive from the others, so treating your body right in all aspects is important for achieving long-term success.

Warm Up

Aim to increase your body temperature and heart rate before each session. This can be easily achieved through a 10-minute fast walk or light jog.

Option A

Repeat 5 times:

  • 10 air squats
  • 30-second run
  • 5 push-ups

Option B

Repeat 10 times:

  • 1-minute swift run*
  • 30 seconds of alternating reverse lunges

*You can substitute a brisk walk, or jogging on the spot, running up and down the stairs, or, if you have one, bouncing on the trampoline for the run.

Try one when you're pressed for time and see how you feel!