You would think 11 minutes per day is easy

[stormshadow]

www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/12/06/how-exercise-helps-longevity-and-aging.html

But I am sure many out there in the world don't even do this

[Michael]

People that say they have no time really need to look at what they are doing with their time. You really don't need much time for Your health and well being.

[pierinifitness]

I’ve noticed a down tick lately in my workout duration other than running and walking which are time consuming. I think I’m going to keep my workouts shorter this month as a breath of fresh air.

Part of the reason for my shorter workouts is that I’m not in the same upper-percentile conditioning that I was earlier this year and the stuff I was doing is stuff I can’t currently do. Not that I need to do it but, for me, I enjoy having upper-percentile, age-adjusted cardiovascular conditioning and strength endurance.

[machinehead]

During this work from home thing this year, I've been incorporating shorter workouts and for every bathroom trip to take care of some sort of self upkeep I include a set of 50 squats. A normal day for me starts around 5:30 in the morning as follows:

- I start with 12 minutes of some calisthenics/kettlebell swing/ab wheel combo. There's a reason for the 12 minutes -- it's enough to get my attention and get my heart rate up to somewhere over 120 BPM but not too much that it's overkill.
- I then have a protein shake with a spoonful of Metamucil. Then, the work day begins with me in front of a laptop catching up on emails and status reports. Included with this is a cup of coffee.
- The coffee pattern continues along with bathroom visits and for each visit there's a set of 50 squats.
- The afternoons switch to water consumed (a half gallon usually, total for the day), followed by more bathroom trips and squats.
- I finish the day with 8 minutes of the same exercise selection as the morning. So, it's 8 minutes + 12 minutes = 20 minutes for the day of something "vigorous".

The purpose of the squats isn't for muscle building or to reach a certain number of rep total. And admittedly the form isn't admirable, but I don't care -- the point of them is to move joints through some kind of range of motion and to get at least a little blood flow to the major muscle groups.

[pierinifitness]

Dec 8, 2020 13:59:39 GMT machinehead said:

During this work from home thing this year, I've been incorporating shorter workouts and for every bathroom trip to take care of some sort of self upkeep I include a set of 50 squats. A normal day for me starts around 5:30 in the morning as follows:

- I start with 12 minutes of some calisthenics/kettlebell swing/ab wheel combo. There's a reason for the 12 minutes -- it's enough to get my attention and get my heart rate up to somewhere over 120 BPM but not too much that it's overkill.
- I then have a protein shake with a spoonful of Metamucil. Then, the work day begins with me in front of a laptop catching up on emails and status reports. Included with this is a cup of coffee.
- The coffee pattern continues along with bathroom visits and for each visit there's a set of 50 squats.
- The afternoons switch to water consumed (a half gallon usually, total for the day), followed by more bathroom trips and squats.
- I finish the day with 8 minutes of the same exercise selection as the morning. So, it's 8 minutes + 12 minutes = 20 minutes for the day of something "vigorous".

The purpose of the squats isn't for muscle building or to reach a certain number of rep total. And admittedly the form isn't admirable, but I don't care -- the point of them is to move joints through some kind of range of motion and to get at least a little blood flow to the major muscle groups.

Thanks for sharing your ritual. You must be doing four figures daily squat volume with drinking that amount of water.

[mr potatohead]

My impression of this article is that it was written for people who don't do much exercise or to encourage some couch potato to do something. Something is better than nothing, but much more beneficial, IMO, to move a little all day long.
I'm not trying to do as little as possible. I view exercise as a treat and enjoy treating myself whenever the mood strikes throughout the day.

[misterfurious]

I do two strength workouts per week that last about 12 minutes each.

I do two stretching routines per week. Each last about 20 minutes.

Every now and then I run a 5k just to see where I am with that. Most recent 5k was 27 minutes. Not a great time, but that's pretty damn good for someone who runs a 5k about three times per year.

I can do more than 15 closed grip pull-ups at a weight of 195 at 5'7" (have to do closed-grip because anything wider aggravates an old shoulder injury)

Overall point is that it doesn't take a lot to be "fit." If you want to be a professional athlete of some kind, sure, you need more exercise. But for the rest of us, exercise should make our lives better, not be the center of our lives. Just my 2 cents.

[MBS]

Dec 10, 2020 17:49:55 GMT misterfurious said:

........ exercise should make our lives better, not be the center of our lives. Just my 2 cents.

Bingo. 

[billfish]

Dec 10, 2020 18:11:52 GMT MBS said:

Dec 10, 2020 17:49:55 GMT misterfurious said:

........ exercise should make our lives better, not be the center of our lives. Just my 2 cents.

Bingo. 

Amen !
While working in a gym, I met a few of the exercise nuts
The most boring, self-absorbed people imaginable  
Their existence was all around exercise 
I could only imagine them at a party all bragging about what they do and their low BF percentages etc 

[stormshadow]

Dec 10, 2020 17:49:55 GMT misterfurious said:

I do two strength workouts per week that last about 12 minutes each.

I do two stretching routines per week. Each last about 20 minutes.

Every now and then I run a 5k just to see where I am with that. Most recent 5k was 27 minutes. Not a great time, but that's pretty damn good for someone who runs a 5k about three times per year.

I can do more than 15 closed grip pull-ups at a weight of 195 at 5'7" (have to do closed-grip because anything wider aggravates an old shoulder injury)

Overall point is that it doesn't take a lot to be "fit." If you want to be a professional athlete of some kind, sure, you need more exercise. But for the rest of us, exercise should make our lives better, not be the center of our lives. Just my 2 cents.

Please post more. My Dad made it to 98. He called me artificial muscles because I lifted weights. He gardened, walked, biked, skied (cross country and downhill) and like to chop wood for fireplace. Super fit and "natural" muscles. He did like to do pull ups well into his 90s. About 13 super strict reps a day really slow. Mostly the pull-up grip, but he also liked to do them commando style. One hand palm down, the other palm up.  He was an experienced rock climber. He could do two finger rafter pull-ups in our basement with the 2 x 6 joists. I could barely hang on them for like 4 seconds before falling (if I was lucky). He said, see artificial muscles do not work that well.

I joined him rock climbing when I could, but could never relax at altitude. My artificial muscles would quake and spasm:)

He said, do fun things that you like to do that keep you active. The rest will take care of itself.