According to current research we need approximately 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week to stay healthy. That translates into choosing an activity that will leave you slightly out of breath with a glow of light sweat on your brow. But, how do you find the time to exercise when, for example, there aren’t enough minutes in the day to do everything you need to accomplish?
Finding 20 minutes a day is a good strategy for hitting the mark of 150 minutes a week. It’s been proven that exercise doesn’t have to be done all at once in order for you to gain benefits from it. It can be broken up into smaller bits of time. Breaking twenty minutes into in two 10-minute segments is another great way to divide and conquer. You’ll probably feel better instantly.
Here is an example of what 20 minutes in your day might look like.
In the morning – 5 minutes
The Sun Salutation is a yoga set of exercises. It’s a great way to start the day and works on 
waking up all of you – body and soul.
During your day –10 minutes
Let’s bring back morning and afternoon recess. As an example, break the office spell and get outside for 10 minutes. Or, get your coffee or tea some place other than the staff lunch room. Don’t think working from home means you can’t get out for 10 minutes either. Like Jody’s Fitness on Facebook and let’s start a dialogue about what’s working for you.
In the evening – 5 minutes
At some point at night pick three exercises and do one set of 10-12 reps of each. For example: squats, wall or a
floor push-up and front or side planks. Take a minute for each exercise. Finish with some light stretching of the muscles you just used.
Trainer Tip: Walking is a wonderful way to be active for 20 minutes in a day. Include some stairs or hills to add some sweat to your brow. Add some bench push-ups and a calf stretch to finish off.
Remembering to take the stairs instead of the elevator, standing more at work and sitting less at home are more examples of making your daily life more active.
Now, stand up. Take a moment to stretch. Take another moment to relax by breathing deeply.