If You Hate Working Out, Try These Short At-Home Workouts
There are plenty of workouts and fitness classes out there that are either a chore or a snore. If you hate the activity, you're going to hate the workout. Maybe it's the fact that the word itself suggests work (yuck). The last thing you want to do is volunteer for more work every day — we totally get it.
If you're in a funk, micro-sessions of activity can have a significant impact, explained Jacob Meyer, director of the Wellbeing and Exercise lab at Iowa State University. In an interview with NPR, he explained that, "Going from no activity at all to even a little bit of activity is going to get some of the biggest health effects." The key is to find something you enjoy. If you loathe lunges, don't do them. If sit ups aren't your thing, modify accordingly. There's an endless supply of inspiration for short at-home activities that are more fun than filling your online shopping cart and then deleting it.
Just the way a glow-up is a more positive vibe than a makeover, we're here to serve up some of the best (fun!) fitness routines. So forget workouts — enjoy this collection of short joy-sesh exercises!
Warm up and then twerk it out for your new favorite at-home workout
First step, let's warm up. Maybe you've been sitting in front of the computer screen for a few hours. This is an excellent opportunity to squeeze in a bit of joy-sesh. It'll count as a workout and, according to NPR, it'll be beneficial to your emotional wellbeing. Dynamic stretches are like a dress rehearsal for your muscles, as described by Cleveland Clinic expert Anne Rex in an article for their online platform, Health Essentials. "Dynamic stretching mimics the activity or the movement that you're going to do in whatever sport or activity you're about to start," she explained. "The muscles tend to get excited a little bit earlier and faster, which can help improve power and increase coordination."
Keep it simple, like this dynamic activity burst from Self. A quick nine minute circuit of push-ups, planks, and squats is an easy-breezy dynamic stretching routine. Using a timer, do one minute of push-ups, one minute of planks, and one minute of squats. Repeat this series three times.
Now that we're warmed up, we might as well celebrate. So let's twerk it out. Just finished an annoying Zoom meeting? Twerk it out. Having a tough day? Twerk. It. Out.
Full disclosure. Twerking does not come naturally to some of us. Speaking for ourselves, we generally look like drunken marionette puppets. But guess what? It doesn't matter at all because it's just so fun. But, if you're like us and need a little tutorial, the folks at Hip Shake Fitness will teach you how to twerk in five minutes.
Workout music matters, so choose your groove carefully
Don't let your twerking lesson go to waste. Instead, log another legit joy-sesh with Keaira LaShae's HipHop Twerk Dance Workout, set to Cardi B's verse in G-Eazy's "No Limit." LaShae breaks down a handful of dance moves and then pulls it together in a quick-hitting, high-energy video. It's easily the best six minutes and 28 seconds of your whole day and just so happens to deliver a heart-pumping workout.
Let's stay in the fabulous females' genre, but throw it back to the OG-workout queen, Jane Fonda. In between movies and civil protests back in the day, Fonda found extraordinary success with her workout empire. If you're looking for inspo, look no further than the no apologies needed, full lace workout catsuits and covetable 1980's attire (and hair!) of Fonda's Lean Routine Workout. Dive into this gem and just do whatever you have time for. We're 100% excited for the slouchy-sock trend of the 1980s to return. In the meantime, we're just over here crushing some jazzercise workouts.
We've served up a lot of short, high-energy workouts. However, we also know that sometimes we need to simply recenter ourselves. With over 10 million followers, Yoga With Adriene offers yoga routines for whatever you need each day, from quick 10 minute Yoga for Focus & Productivity (spoiler: there's an adorable dog) or full-length restorative practices.
Skip the energy drinks and reenergize with fun at-home workouts
Good news! Moving your body – even just a few times a week at a moderate rate — can reduce your fatigue by 65%. A study from the University of Georgia, co-authored by former UGA students Tim Puetz and Sara Flowers, alongside Patrick O'Connor, co-director of the UGA Exercise Psychology Laboratory, brought attention to the topic. O'Connor explained that, "A lot of people are overworked and not sleeping enough," but that, "Exercise is a way for people to feel more energetic. There's a scientific basis for it, and there are advantages to it compared to things like caffeine and energy drinks."
So, when you need a little pick-me-up, put that energy drink aside and dive into the POPSUGAR Fitness Channel on Youtube. They've got everything from a 30 Minute Cardio Latin Dance Workout to a 15 Minute Core Workout and everything in between. But maybe you want to focus mostly on your arms? No problem. Grab some resistance bands and set aside a few minutes for Best Health Magazine's routine, perfect for beginners and gym rats alike!
But, hold up. The folks at Fitness Blender just seem to know what we've been scribbling in our workout journal and offered up this perfect solution – Bored Easily Bodyweight Cardio Workout. Count us in!