Staying Fit Only Takes 3-5 Minutes of Your Time...at Home or in the Office

Having a busy schedule is probably the most common (not to mention the most overused) excuse for not working out. You see, office workers spend long hours at work and are always on a rush. This makes them, myself included, already too tired to even think about going to the gym. Hey, I skip gym time in good faith! (most of the time)

I’d rather choose sleep or spend more time with my friends than work out and drain all the energy I have left. Although this is completely understandable, making time for maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a choice.

I was swamped with work some weeks ago and forgoing gym time was collateral damage. As a result, I was sleeping more and doing less workouts. I noticed that instead of recharging my body, I am getting weaker without exercise.

That was when I realised that I needed to find a way to squeeze exercise in my schedule, no matter how hectic it gets. I looked for ways to do exercises without going to the gym and discovered that it only takes about only 3-5 minutes of my day to do exercises that will help me stay fit. That is shorter than an episode of my favourite program.

The Commercial Break Workout

Commercial breaks are downtime that most people take for granted. Instead of switching channels during commercial break, I used five minutes to warm up and burn those calories.

• 20 Squats
• 15 Mountain Climbers
• 10 Push Ups
• 5 Burpees

To get the most out of the routine, I repeated the set during all commercial breaks. There are also times wherein I use a cardio equipment every break. This way, I have maximised my time for both leisure and fitness.

The One Song Workout

I chose one song with a total time of above 3 minutes and perform a micro HIIT workout that will tone my body like crazy. In this example, I used Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars.

• 30 Seconds – High Knees
• 30 Seconds – Walking Lunges
• 10 Second – Rest
• 5 Burpees
• 30 Seconds – Tricep Dips
• 10 Seconds – Rest
• 20 Seconds – Mountain Climbers
• 20 Jumping Jacks
• 10 Squats
• 10 Seconds – Rest
• 30 Seconds – Plank
• 10 Seconds – Rest
• 30 Seconds – Plank Walk Ups
• 10 Seconds – Just Dance to the Beat!

If you don’t like the song, who hurt you? Kidding. There are a lot of tunes available, some are even sitting in your playlist waiting for your attention. Who knows? This might be the perfect time to play that song you love to skip but never delete.

The Office Workout

We’ve all heard that a sedentary lifestyle (you know, sitting all day at the office) can kill you. Knowing that I cannot set my workplace on fire, I thought of certain exercises I can do at work.

I started by stretching whenever I feel like my body’s becoming too stiff. Then I discovered that nobody cared when I did “office yoga” so I decided to take my workout a level higher. If your boss is strict, you can do this in your office building’s rooftop or break room instead.

• Jog in Place - 45 Seconds
• Push Ups - 10 Reps
• Squats - 10 Reps
• Lunges - 10 Times on Each Leg
• Calf Raises - 10 Times, Three Reps

I did 2-3 sets of these. Feel free to add more exercises if you’re feeling really energetic. This workout can be done absolutely anywhere but I haven’t tried doing it in a moving vehicle, like a speeding train or something, so I wouldn’t know. I guess it’s best to stick to the office setting for now.

The Good Morning Workout

This one’s my favorite. There are days when I know I won’t be able to go to the gym because of endless meetings and piled up work, so I choose the best time to work out – in the morning. By scheduling exercise time just before I go to work, I am able to use “fresh” energy to accomplish something early, which means I don’t have to whip out the I’m-too-tired-to-work-out excuse.

Warm Up (30 Seconds)

Tricep Push-ups (30 Seconds)

V-Ups (30 Seconds)

High-to-Low Plank (30 Seconds)

Plyometric Lunge (30 Seconds)

Bicycles (30 Seconds)

There’s an area in my room covered with mats so I can work out whenever I want. I also noticed that the early morning workout is good for my metabolism. I don’t have to spend an extra minute trying to get “it” out. There are days like that, okay?

When work and your busy schedule gets in the way, your mind and body will thank you for doing these 3-5-minute exercises. Remember: something is always better than nothing. I still go to the gym regularly but if I can’t make it, I do these workouts so I won’t feel too lousy and worthless as I finish a bag of crisps at home, alone.