Day 8 of The School of Balance Alternative Calendar is a quick one!

It can be hard to make time to fit in a workout at the best of times, but when it’s dark and cold outside it’s even harder to find the motivation. This coupled with how busy December can be makes it unsurprising that the gyms are empty!

Time to Get Your Sweat On

I always thought that working out needed to last a while to be worth it, but thanks to the clever folk at Metabolic Effect I’ve learnt that even 1 minute of exercise makes a difference. Yes you read that right ONE MINUTE is worth it. So if time is genuinely an issue there is an alternative.

Here’s how:

Complete this more than once a day if you can, e.g. this first thing in the morning, in an advert break of your favourite TV show, whilst waiting for the kettle to boil. Even one minute is worth it…

1. Pick a bodyweight exercise that you can do without any equipment, such as a press up, squat or a hip thrust.

2. Do the exercise as fast as you can, whilst being safe and maintaining good form, until you can’t do anymore. You are trying to get to the point where you can’t continue as fast as you can.

3. Take three deep breaths and repeat.

4. You’re done when after the 3 breaths you can’t even manage one more!

As with all exercise and lifestyle change please consult your doctor before beginning. Listen to your body and do not take any risks.

If you haven’t already done so you can still sign up to receive all remaining days of the Alternative Advent Calendar here.