I’ve been on a journey the last several years to figure out a balance of prioritizing my health and wellness in the midst of prioritizing my family, a full time job and all the other things that life holds.
Really we often make things more complicated than they need to be! Don’t we? And we have this all or nothing mentality. Maybe it’s just me.
Two thought processes have changed for me though thru my healthy lifestyle journey, and I am so thankful for it!
I used to think… If I mess up eating, I have to wait to reset the next week.
Now I think… what’s the best choice I can make the next time I eat. I don’t use a splurge or unintentional splurge as an excuse to abandon my priority to eat healthy.
I used to think… if I don’t have 30 to 45 minutes to workout, it’s not worth it. I won’t see any results.
Now I think… 10 minutes everyday has more benefits than no exercise for days.
I wanted to share more about the second thought of why I love a daily goal of 10 minutes of exercise. Thanks to the Balanced Life 30 Day Pilates Challenge… I was reminded of why 10 minutes works! I’ve said to people for years “just start a habit with 10 minutes each day.”
Here’s why it works for me?
- I can’t really say I don’t have time for 10 minutes of exercise. Seriously, I can waste 10 minutes like I can demolish a square or two or three of dark chocolate! Snap my fingers and it’s gone. I can find 10 minutes to exercise. What excuse is there for everyday not finding 10 minutes?
- I typically push myself harder for 10 minutes than I would if I knew my workout was 30 or 40. The whole idea of saving energy for the long haul doesn’t apply to 10 minutes of exercise. I just go all out.
- If I do 10 minutes of exercise, I almost always talk myself into another 10 minutes. I feel so good and I’m already moving and endorphins are pumping, why not more of a good thing? And on days I have more time, I do another 10 minutes.
- Okay so that’s 30 minutes of exercise, why not just do a 30 minute video? Honestly, I stay focused better if I break it up into 10 minute segments. It’s easier to stay mentally engaged for me. Plus, I can customize my workout. Example, 10 minute arm workout, 10 minute ab workout and then 10 minutes of stretching.
- I like variety! I get bored with a workout program, so I love having variety through various workout videos. I do keep running (or walking) in the mix usually a few times per week. I’ve also started doing more with my suspension trainer. But I love having the videos to bring some variety to my workout not only by the type of workout by the instructor style.
- There is so much free content on YouTube and it’s so easy to search for 10 minute workout videos. I search for “10 minute HIIT” as an example and then I preview it by skipping to 3-4 points in the video. YouTube is so smart too…it makes recommendations based on my history so it suggests other 10 minute videos. I also love that I can use Playlists on YouTube to organize them by type of workout and to easily repeat the ones I like.
Here are some channels that have 10 minute options:
The Balance Life (Pilates)
Lauren Hefenz (Pilates/Strength/HIIT)
The Lean Machines (HIIT) – the videos I found were on Tonic
Sarah Beth Show Yoga
Tone It Up (all types)
Grokker (all types)
BeFit (all types)
And if you want some videos in the 20 minute range, try these channels:
Yoga with Adriene
Yoga by Candace
Tone It Up (all types)
Grokker (all types)
BeFit (all types)
Fit Busy Lizzie 