Short on Time? Try Tabata!

Taba-what? That’s what I was thinking as my super fit girlfriend, A, told me about a new type of routine to add to my fitness arsenal. I had asked her to help me spice up my Fall routine because I knew she would have a great idea. The workout she told me to try is the Tabata workout. Created by Izumi Tabata, the Tabata protocol is based upon supra-aerobic cardio.

The workout goes something like this:

• 5 minutes of warm-up
• 8 intervals of 20 seconds all-out intensity exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest
• 2 minutes cool-down

Short, huh? Short and intense! The key is to really go all out on the 20 second intervals. You’ll be praying for the clock to move faster.

I did my first Tabata workout yesterday. I was definitely skeptical because I am a long cardio session type of girl. I did a Tabata workout that, coincidentally enough, was in my latest issue of Oxygen magazine. I did it three times and burned 150 calories (according to my very accurate heart rate monitor). That’s 150 calories in under 15 minutes of hard work. I’ll take it!

Oh yeah, I also found a cool app for .99 to time my intervals so I wouldn’t be distracted trying to keep track of time. The Tabata protocol will definitely be my new go-to workout when I’m in a time crunch. Thanks A!

Making Time for Fitness

Working from home gives me the flexibility to exercise after I drop my kids off at school or to make it to a midday class at the gym. However, many of my friends who are in more traditional work situations have trouble fitting it in especially when they’re juggling their own busy schedules with their children’s extracurricular activities.

So what’s a busy woman to do? The good news is that you can achieve benefits from exercising in small increments. So, if you can get in a quick walk in the morning, jump rope for 10 minutes at lunch, and jog/walk/bike/move before dinner then you can still reap some benefits from exercising. You should still try to fit in a longer session on the weekend if possible but the key is to get your butt moving!

Here are some quick tips to help you stay in shape and combat that annual weight gain that tends to plague many women:

Have a plan. If you put exercise on your schedule just like your other important meetings and activities then you are much more likely to do it. Don’t just think you will fit it in because you want to. You have to plan for it. Eventually, you will find that planning exercise time also helps you plan your meals and your snacks.

Exercise with a friend. Having an exercise partner helps to keep you honest when you want to skip your trip to the gym and go to Five Guys instead. Friends will help you stay on track and keep you company. If not, find a new exercise buddy.

Make it a family affair. Get the kids and hubby off the couch. Family walks and bike rides are great! And everyone will envy how fly and fit your family looks.

Circuit train. Circuit training is a great opportunity to incorporate weights into your workout and to do it quickly. You can work several body parts in a quick circuit training session. And take my word, unless you’re taking some banned substance you will NOT look like a man if you lift weights. You just won’t have those jiggly chicken wings when you lift your arms.

Do something you enjoy. I know that running is not my thing. So if it is on my schedule, chances are I will find an excuse to do something I enjoy more, like cleaning my daughter’s hermit crab cage (just joking!) But really, exercise is not punishment and should not be dreaded. As Digital Underground said back in the day, “Doowutchyalike!”