The 7-Minute Workout For The Busy People

It is hard to make an excuse when it is only to spare 7 minutes of our time in a day to engage in activities that will enhance our health and wellbeing. 7 minutes. It can't be that hard, right?

Well, good news for everyone who is always busy, always have an excuse to miss gym sessions or not to exercise, always forgetting to devote time to be physically fit, and those who just have lazy behinds like myself. I am guilty! So, when I saw this free 7-minute workout in the web and watched how easy it is to follow them, I feel so ashamed. I practically have no more excuse to make after watching it. I take more time sitting, thinking of what to eat for dinner compared to getting myself dressed for a good workout and actually engaging on the 7-minute workout.

Visit the Well Workouts (site: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/projects/workouts/) developed by the New York Times especially for busy folks like us. I am not sure if it was created by Gretchen Reynolds as her name appears on the workout diagram but I give credits to her and NYC Times for this amazing compilation of easy-to-follow movements to help me and you to get going.

There are 2 kinds of 7-minute workout available in the site. 

Scientific 7-minute workout

According to the site, it consists of 12 exercises using your body weight, a chair and a wall. I can live with that!

Advanced 7-minute workout

This is the more intense and demanding workout out of the two in the site. It requires you to have dumbbells. It also takes only 7-minutes to complete the routine.

The site comes with a choice of 2 voice overs, Phoebe, your female cheerer or Alastair, your male voice coach. And if you want silence, just the visuals, then you can disable the voice over as you please.

This 7-minute workout is a great routine and they are not complicated unlike the other fitness videos I have seen before.  Now, I don't have any reason not to exercise even for just few minutes in a day.


(Photo credit: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/projects/workouts/)

Keep Goals For A Healthier You

January 2014 is almost coming to an end. Have you already kept your promise to live a healthy life and engage in regular exercise for a healthier you? It is okay to start things slow but the fact of the matter is that, you have to start somewhere and commit to it.

Honestly, I am still baby steps when it comes to exercise. I have started eating with portion control though. At least, I am heading to something that will provide a better and healthier life for me.

As soon as you are able to embark on your journey to a healthy lifestyle, remember to do the following to meet your goal in the long run:

1. Write your goals down

It is best to see your goals set in stone; in this case, in paper! Make it a point to write your before and after measurements so you know how you are progressing as you go along.

Be realistic in your goals. You cannot write, for example, "I will lose 10 kilos in a week." I don't want to be sarcastic but you will lose weight that fast is something is terribly wrong but make it achievable. Have a decent goal like try to lose 2 kilos per week.

2. Be specific

Be specific as possible with what you want to become with this journey. You cannot just say, "I want to be sexy or well-built." That is easier said than done but what are the "specific" ways you will do to achieve those?

3. Keep a journal

Document your process and review them so you know which one is working and which one is not. This way, you can gauge how far you are now with your desire to live a healthy life and how near it is to reach the target. This will help motivate you in the long journey to a healthier you.

4. Do not deny yourself

I remembered what my nutritionist told me when I consulted few years ago. She said, if we are embarking on a healthier lifestyle, it is still a healthy way to enjoy the other foods that we used to eat but do so in moderation and not as frequent.  Do not cheat nor deny yourself of that small piece of pie. If you have been working out really hard and has committed to a regular diet and exercise, it is not bad to reward yourself with a food you like. You can also reward yourself with a weekend free of exercise, just laze around and enjoy a little quiet time doing your favorite hobby. Be kind to yourself.


I hope these tips will help you on your track to fulfill a commitment to be healthy and fit not just for the whole year of 2014 but as a permanent lifestyle. Good luck! I also need that!