Why Shorter Workout Routines for Beginners Work
- Pencil Case | 22foramoment.wixsite.com/every-day
- Apr 22, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 3, 2022
Sport was not part of my life. And that was the way I liked it.
Growing up, we had a very shabby Physical Education program at school. It was essentially a weekly 45-minute light movement of arms and legs routine. The fact that the school placed little to no importance on physical education and with none of my family members having any enthusiasm for it, I grew up with a lack of interest in any kind of sports.
To me, sports was something I rationally understood was good for the body, but was something that I deferred until tomorrow.
So my couch-potato life continued, pending the tomorrow that never came.
Lack of Mobility
Fast forward to 2020, the year when COVID-19 became a real part of our lives.
I have been working from home since March 2020 when Jakarta started to publicize local COVID-19 cases. Suddenly we all became remote workers, got used to seeing ourselves on screen, hearing “You’re on mute” every so often, and never far from our faithful headsets.
With the number of positive cases rising to 13,000 per day at the peak of its time, I was staying indoors most of the time. Realizing that the lack of mobility would be detrimental, I decided that it might do me good to do “some level” of exercising. Youtube was my go-to instructor.
As you’d expect, my work-out ambitions were capped. “Achieve-ably” at 20-minutes. That ought to be enough I thought. Wouldn’t want to over-work ourselves, and therefore discourage subsequent work-outs, now would we?
And so, began my reluctant relationship with Lucy Wyndham Read - my first online fitness instructor, with her 20 minutes low-impact videos.
Lesson No 1 : Set Achievable Goals
A friend of mine who worked in the fitness industry, once said that the problem with going to the gym, is not how burdensome exercising is, or how we need friends to do it with, or setting aside the time from our busy schedule, or a whole list of other sensible reasons. The problem is: getting started.
Getting started with an overwhelming regime, in my view, is a major turn-off for beginners. By setting goals that are achievable, we take down the mental barriers.
If 20 minutes sounds like a prison sentence for life, start with 15 minutes or even 12 minutes.
Do what you think is achievable and will make you feel good having done it. This will keep you going the next day. And the next.
Lesson No. 2 : What Works for YOU
I’ll tell you what I liked about Lucy’s videos. She gives you options. She always has two versions of an exercise on screen and allows you to choose the high or low impact version. No prizes for guessing, what I opted for! Wink.
I think that by allowing people to choose what is suitable for their circumstance, we encourage a longer continuity.
Lesson No. 3 : No Pressures
As any teacher will tell you, the learner does better when he enjoys what he is doing. So, don’t give yourself any pressure. Do it, because you want to do it, for today. Don’t overthink about tomorrow. I find that this mindset works for me. If I just get by this 20 minutes (and yeah, I should be able to spare 20 minutes, no?) I would do my health a favour today, I thought.
Lesson No. 4 : Breaking The Cycle
And so, my routine started. As days passed, there were days when I’d be tempted to skip, but then it crossed my mind that if I broke this cycle, getting started would be another feat, and it could make breaking the routine a habit. So, I persisted.
When there were days when I was really not in the mood, I’d choose a shorter video like 15 minutes or do some floor exercises on my own, instead of skipping it altogether.
And so my workout days turned to weeks, and then months. Before I realized, it’s now been over a year of non-stop daily workouts.
On some days I’d do 25-30 minutes between HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) exercises, low impact workouts, pilates and yoga interchangeably on different days. Now I have a more toned ab and upper body, and definitely feel healthier.
Quick Review of Online Fitness Trainer Options
So, if you are anything like me, and cringe at the word of exercising, here are some of the online trainers that I’ve enjoyed watching and exercising with. They are great for beginners and all range about 20-25 minutes.
Lucy Wyndham Read - An ex British army officer, her exercises are mostly standing up, with many breaks in between sets. I love that there are no repeats within each video session! A big plus for someone like me who gets bored easily with the same moves.
She has some much shorter 7-10 minute exercises that you could do during your day, if some short interval exercises are what you are looking for. Personally I’ve never really used those myself.
She talks throughout the video, which again suits me, but if you are someone who prefers to exercise with music on or in quietness, you will need to turn off the volume.
Emi Wong - Good toning exercises that fly by. She doesn’t include warm up and cool down exercises, so best do that on your own. She also has an instagram account with videos that gives you an idea of the exercises that she does. The only downside is her sparse verbal encouragement and flat audio tone throughout the video may flatten your energy. On a few videos, you may want to forward the clip to skip the overly extended duration she spends on promoting her sponsors' products.
Joanna Soh - A moderate exercise regime, usually in 2 sets, mostly standing exercises. She has some shorter 7 minute videos, longer videos of 30 minute videos and cardio exercises for those of you who have the stamina.
MadFit - I love MadFit. I’d say that her exercises are a slight notch more advanced than Lucy’s although she does space them out with short 15 sec breaks. She also includes some floor exercises.
Lottie Murphy - A personal favorite for pilates workout. Her clear audio and pace makes a great workout partner, leaving you feeling refreshed and massaged! Though for those of you looking for a faster pace, this may not feel sufficient for you.
Yoga with Adrienne - Some gentle beginner yoga exercises that are really awesome for those of you having a sore back, neck or shoulders, or just exploring yoga. It’s surprising how these seemingly slow and gentle moves can lift some of the aches and rigidness from sitting all day on our laptops.
So there we have it, why I believe shorter fitness routines work better for fitness beginners.
But, see which one works for you, and hit me up if you have some more good finds, I would love to try them out, and maybe even share it with our blog readers out there!
Enjoy your work-out! yaaay
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