Time poor? Try the cheat’s guide to exercise

Tired of excuses for skipping a gym session or yoga class? Experts say you may not need to spend as long as you thought exercising to gain muscle strength.

It’s the oldest excuse in the book for dodging a workout – life’s too busy, there’s not enough time.

Fortunately, the window of time needed to benefit from exercise in our ever more cluttered daily routines is not as great as some might expect.

Research shows short and easy forms of exercise can have similar benefits to longer and more sustained workouts, while a new study from Western Australia’s Edith Cowan University has found lifting weights for as little as three seconds a day can have a positive impact on muscle strength.

In a collaboration with researchers from Japan’s Nigata University of Health and Welfare, university students performed one muscle contraction at maximum effort for three seconds a day, five days a week, for four weeks.

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Why short bursts of exercise matter

In a collaboration with researchers from Japan’s Nigata University of Health and Welfare, university students performed one muscle contraction at maximum effort for three seconds a day, five days a week, for four weeks.

They found muscle strength improved more than 10 per cent for those in the group who performed a bicep curl – an eccentric motion – after the four weeks.

“The study results suggest that a very small amount of exercise stimulus – even 60 seconds in four weeks – can increase muscle strength,” ECU School of Medical and Health Sciences lead researcher Professor Ken Nosaka said.

“Many people think you have to spend a lot of time exercising, but it’s not the case.

“Short, good-quality exercise can still be good for your body and every muscle contraction counts … If we find the three-second rule also applies to other muscles then you might be able to do a whole-body exercise in less than 30 seconds.”

In The One-Minute Workout, author and McMaster University kinesiology professor Dr Martin Gabila argues brief but intense bursts of exercise may be the most potent form of workout.

So there’s no need to write off the day if you can’t make your run or the gym, according to Online Prostate Physiotherapy’s Eric Leckie.

“My best advice is to set an alarm on your smart phone for every hour and schedule in little mini breaks throughout the day to get moving. Think consistency,” Eric says.

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Eight quick, easy and effective exercise bites

Dance: Research has shown getting your boogie on also assists in general activities for daily living. Plus, dancing makes you happy!

Get mobile on your mobile: Get up and move around as you chat. Incidental exercise adds up.

Make bread or grind spices: On the Greek island of Ikaria, even the simple act of bread making (think hand kneading that dough) is seen as an exercise snack.

Try hand grinding spices for another top arm workout.

Do one-minute of squats: “Get as many reps as you can in one minute,” Eric says. “It’s a great compound exercise so it is working multiple muscles in a short burst.”

Give your plants some love: While gardening outdoors is best (digging, sweeping, chopping and more), tending to indoor plants and shifting pots around works too.

Take the stairs: One study found that even climbing three flights of stairs, three times a day and three times a week increased oxygen uptake, albeit modestly. Get climbing.

Pectoral stretch in your door frame: “Stand in a door frame and hold your arm up bent at a 90-degree angle,” Eric says.

“Press a palm against the frame, step forward and feel the stretch for 30 seconds before releasing.”

Pull apart a resistance band: “Stand up and pull it apart across your chest,” Eric says.

“Do two sets of 20 until the muscles in between your shoulder blades feel really warm.”

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Written by Liz McGrath.