Just 5 minutes of intense exercise a day can burn calories, control appetite, and help strengthen muscles.
Regular exercise brings many benefits from weight loss to better sleep, increased energy levels, and improved body shape. Many people believe that exercising for 5 minutes a day is not enough to create change. Health experts also recommend that people exercise for 10 minutes or more per day, 150 minutes per week at moderate intensity or 75 minutes at vigorous intensity. However, that doesn’t mean shorter workouts don’t work.
A 2013 study from the University of Utah, USA, on more than 4,500 men and women showed that small amounts of exercise throughout the day can create big benefits. Even one minute of moving at a fast pace can have a significant impact on the body.
After the study, women who incorporated short bursts of high-intensity activity into their daily lives had a slight decrease in body mass index (BMI) compared to the control group. Men had similar results. The calories burned during this short but intense workout session helped women lose weight compared to their inactive counterparts. Obesity rates also decreased for both men and women who performed fasted exercises.
Another study published in the journal Obesity shows that breaking up exercise into short bursts is effective in controlling appetite. One group of obese people participated in one hour of exercise each day while another group did 12 five-minute workout sessions. Ultimately, both groups had similar amounts of the appetite-controlling protein in their blood. However, the short-exercise group reported increased feelings of fullness when doing just 5 minutes of interval exercise.
In this study, participants also performed tabata training – a 4-minute high-intensity interval workout consisting of 20 seconds of all-out effort and 10 seconds of rest, repeated eight times. The results show that this short exercise significantly improves the body’s energy burning process in a short time.
Exercising 5 minutes a day also has a positive impact on the body. Image: Ngoc Pham
When doing the 5-minute exercise, you don’t need to go to the gym. Take advantage of your time watching TV to do it. For example, stand up and do lunges or lie down and do push-ups before continuing to watch a TV show.
You can also practice while doing everyday tasks like brushing your teeth. Instead of just standing, do a few calf raises. Walk to shop if the distance is short instead of driving. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Maintain these habits for best results. After a while, you can adjust your habits so you can move more naturally every day.
Some high-intensity interval exercises at home are also effective, such as:
Plank, plank combined with hip push, hip lift, side plank and crunches. Perform the exercises consecutively, each exercise for one minute.
Squat for 40 seconds, then rest for 5 seconds to tone and strengthen the lower body.
Full body exercise burns fat by combining jumping movements, sprinting in place, squatting…
Make sure to drink enough water when exercising.