What Are the Benefits of Micro Workouts?

Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, 30% of people say it's challenging to find time to work out. Their time constraints can prevent them from reaching their fitness goals.

You might think that you need to work out several hours each week. It can be difficult to figure out where to fit in long workouts when you look at your busy schedule. Micro workouts are a great option for those living busy lives.

Don't worry if you've never heard of micro workouts. This guide will talk about the benefits of incorporating 10-minute workouts into your daily routine.

What Are Micro Workouts?

A micro workout is a short and intense exercise. They can get done anywhere at any time of day. The workout is broken up into a series of exercises that last for several minutes or a few seconds.

Doing one micro workout during the day is enough to get your heart rate going. You can also squeeze in a few different sessions depending on your schedule for that day. Think of them as an "exercise snack" instead of a full meal, which would be a longer workout.

The popularity of micro workouts has increased in recent years but the concept has been around for much longer. These short workouts were considered a joke in the fitness world. People didn't think you could get an effective workout without investing a lot of time and money into your routine.

Over the years, exercise trainers and fitness specialists have started to shift toward shorter workouts. They jam-pack their sessions with intense exercises, helping people work up a sweat.

What Are the Benefits of Micro Workouts?

There are other benefits to micro workouts other than being able to easily fit them into your day. Let's talk about some of the health benefits of micro workouts.

Burn Fat

You have to work out hard to get the benefits of doing a short workout. During workout sessions like intense cardio or HIIT, your body goes through an oxygen deficit. You'll start to feel out of breath and winded.

You'll need a high level of oxygen to restore your body after your workout is done. The time after your workout is called recovery mode.

Your body will work hard to repair muscle tissue and fibers during the recovery period. If you don't give your body enough oxygen, you can't achieve optimal recovery.

Your body's fat stores will start to break down after an intense micro workout. Fatty acids will get released into your bloodstream and they'll get oxidized and used as fuel.

This means your body will continue to burn fat and calories after your intense micro workout. That's because your body needs more oxygen to bring itself back to a normal state. Long workouts that are low-intensity can't help you achieve the same results.

Build Muscle

Micro workouts will also increase your growth hormone and testosterone levels. In addition to burning fat and building lean muscle, you'll experience these other benefits:

• Increased energy levels
• Boosted metabolism
• Weight loss

Ensure your hormones are balanced by exercising with micro workouts.

Improved Cardiovascular Health

VO2 is the maximum oxygen volume amount your body can use at any time. Your maximum amount is a good indicator of your body's overall fitness.

Some studies have shown that intense, short workouts can promote a greater VO2 amount compared to low-intensity workouts. Your heart muscle size can also increase during HIIT workouts. That's because the organ needs to be stronger and bigger.

As intense workouts improve your cardiovascular endurance, you can workout harder and longer. The short rest periods in HIIT workouts show your body how to recover fast. The more you do micro workouts, the less rest your body needs.

You'll build more endurance and stamina as you do micro workouts.

How to Incorporate Micro Workouts Each Day

Look at your daily schedule and find which time during your day you can have 10 minutes of interrupted time to yourself. We recommend finding the same time that works for you each day. It's easier to build a habit when you're consistent.

Some examples of when you could do a micro workout include:

• Before your kids wake up
• During your lunch break
• Right after you get home from work
• After dinner

You also don't need a ton of fancy equipment for mico workouts. Some of our favorite workouts use just your body weight. Our top micro workout examples are:

• Wall sits
• Jumping jacks
• Burpees
• Crunches
• Push-ups
• Squats
• Dips
• Side plank
• Front plank
• Lunges
• Mountain climbers

Tabata training is a good way to structure your micro workout. Pick four exercises for your workout session. Do each workout for 20 seconds with a 10-second break in between. You can focus your micro workout on strength, cardio, or a mix of both.

We recommend warming up before your workout and stretching afterward. Even though you're working out for a short period, you're still putting your body through a lot. You don't want to risk injury by not taking the time to take care of your muscles.

Don't worry if you still feel lost when it comes to micro workouts. There are tons of resources online that can help you get started. Check out the following websites and apps for micro workouts:

• YouTube
• Blogilates
• Love Sweat Fitness
• Peloton

Take Control of Your Health With Micro Workouts

Micro workouts might seem one of the many fitness trends that's here today and gone tomorrow. As you can see, short yet intense workouts are something that has been around for years. If you don't have time for long training sessions, explore fitting 10-minute workouts into your daily routine.