Mini Workouts Are a Great Option When You’re Crunched for Time

How much exercise is enough? 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, adults should aim for a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise — or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic exercise — weekly (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source).

The CDC also stresses the importance of strength training at least 2 days per week. These sessions should focus on total-body workouts targeting the major muscle groups (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source).

To meet these guidelines, many people follow a fitness routine that includes one longer workout session per day. However, you can also break up a longer session into several mini workouts to achieve the same benefits and get the recommended number of minutes.

SUMMARY

Aim for 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise (or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic exercise) each week. Plus, shoot for 2 days of strength training weekly.

Benefits of mini workouts

According to John Gallucci, Jr., DPT, CEO of JAG-ONE Physical Therapy, the benefits of shorter, multiple exercise sessions is that they provide increased flexibility in your daily schedule and allow you to prioritize your health while juggling family, work, and friend obligations.

In other words, performing bite-size workouts throughout the day can make it easier to adhere to an exercise program and experience the many benefits of regular exercise.

Here are 8 of the top benefits of accumulated exercise.

Improve your overall health

Multiple studies have shown that accumulating exercise in short bouts of at least 10 minutes of activity over the course of the day produces similar effects on a range of health-related outcomes, compared with performing the same exercise in one continuous bout.

Specifically, one review of 19 studies involving 1,080 participants found no differences between accumulated and continuous exercise for blood pressure or cardiorespiratory outcomes.

What’s more, the authors noted similar benefits for blood fat, insulin, and glucose levels between the two groups.

Overall, they concluded that adults are likely to experience similar health benefits from accumulating shorter periods of activity throughout the day as they would performing a single bout of exercise (3Trusted Source).

Easier to fit into the day

Glenn Gaesser, PhD, professor of exercise physiology at Arizona State University, says the number one reason for not exercising regularly is a perceived lack of time.

“This is because most people think of exercise as something that requires a lot of effort, time, and a change of clothing. Mini workouts throughout the day may appeal to people who just don’t have the time or inclination for one big workout,” he says.

According to Gaesser, mini workouts could consist of 5–10 minutes of walking or resistance exercises that do not require a change of clothes.

Research has shown that accumulating physical activity throughout the day is just as effective for improving health and fitness as doing one workout, provided that an equal amount of time is devoted to each.

May improve exercise adherence

Committing to an exercise program over time requires patience, persistence, and a whole lot of motivation.

Unfortunately, many people stop working out before they even get a chance to reap the benefits of exercise. The good news is shorter sessions throughout the day may make it easier to stick to a routine.

An older study found that multiple short bouts of activity — around 10 minutes each — are at least as effective at facilitating exercise adherence and weight loss as a single long bout (4Trusted Source).

Boost your brain health and mood

Shorter duration workouts save people time, [allow people to] fit multiple bouts of exercise into a single day, and take advantage of the short-term neurological, physical, and psychological benefits of exercise,” says Ryan Glatt, FAFS, BSc, CPT, NBWHC, psychometrist, personal trainer, and brain health coach for the Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center.

In fact, Glatt says performing single bouts of exercise (as short as 3–5 minutes) throughout the day can elicit transient benefits to the brain and mood.

In fact, one study found that participants who performed a 10-minute bout of brisk walking and meditation experienced improved mood, compared to an inactive control group (5Trusted Source).

Can help lower blood pressure

Gaesser and his colleagues conducted a small study to compare the effects of short aerobic exercise sessions and continuous exercise on 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure.

They found that doing three 10-minute walks during the day (morning, midday, late afternoon) lowered blood pressure more than doing one 30-minute walk in prehypertensive individuals (6Trusted Source).

Make it easier to exercise at higher intensities

Cranking out a high intensity for a long time is not an easy feat — even for seasoned athletes.

That’s why shorter exercise sessions appeal to fitness fans of all levels. Decreasing the time allows you to exercise at higher intensities that are not easily or comfortably sustained for longer periods of time.

Reduce the stress of working out

“Incorporating shorter workouts into your day can reduce the stress response or fear that some people have towards a workout session,” says Gallucci.

When looked at fitness from this perspective, shortened workouts just become a part of your day rather than a stressful session at the gym.

Can help you reach your fitness goals

According to Christine Ogbonna, DPT, a physical therapist at Providence Saint John’s Performance Therapy Center, mini workouts help busy people reach their fitness goals.

“Shorter workouts allow people with busy schedules to focus on what they can perform in small controlled bouts throughout the day without feeling overwhelmed by committing a huge amount of time to work out,” she says.

Plus, mini workouts are easy to schedule and more sustainable to perform and commit to long term, and they allow for more focused, intensive, and intentional exercise to occur, especially if you’re easily distracted.

SUMMARY

Some of the top benefits of mini workouts include improved mood and overall health, lower blood pressure, and better exercise adherence.

Drawbacks of mini workouts

“There are really no drawbacks in terms of health benefits,” says Gaesser.

Gallucci says the main drawback is that you will have to warm up and cool down before and after each workout throughout the day to prevent injury. Additionally, he says, building up your endurance may be difficult over time due to the time limit placed on workout length.

It’s unclear whether multiple short bouts of exercise burn enough calories to make a significant impact on weight loss, but we know that high intensity intervals burn more calories than continuous, steady exercise (7Trusted Source).

Plus, some older research suggests that even high intensity intermittent exercise is better for fat loss (8Trusted Source).

One very small recent study examined Tabata intervals done successively versus intermittently. Researchers found that the effects on body composition, resting metabolic rate, and cardiovascular fitness were more or less the same (9).

Regardless of the calories burned, for many people who avoid exercise because of a lack of time, shorter sessions are better than no exercise at all.

In fact, Gaesser says they’ll keep you healthy and living longer. It’s perhaps better to focus on the endgame, and remember that making fitness a lifestyle habit is the best approach of all — no matter how you do so.

SUMMARY

The benefits of mini workouts far outweigh any potential drawbacks.