Dear Cassey: How long do my workouts need to be?

Dear Cassey,I’ve really tried to incorporate regular workouts into my life in the last few months, but I don’t usually have time for a long workout. Instead, I like to do several shorter ones throughout the day. My question is… Does working out in bursts throughout the day have the same impact as one long session? I’m worried that, despite my efforts, it just won’t take me as far as I want it to.Sincerely,Busy Bee





Dear Busy Bee,

Ahh this is a great question! Not having time is by farrrr the number one struggle I hear about when it comes to exercise. Life is just SO BUSY. But if moving your body is a priority, I believe anyone can make it work. And you are the perfect example of someone who is making it work! YAY!

So let’s talk about short workouts vs. longer workouts.

Besides the obvious benefit of convenience, there are a lot of good things that come from short workouts! The key is to get your heart rate up.

A major benefit of a longer workout is just having more time to fatigue the muscles you’re focusing on and focus on your form. When you fatigue the muscle, you’re getting stronger. A longer cardio workout is also nice to have in your routine if you’re working on endurance.

Also, since you need to properly warm up and cool down with each workout, separating it into several sessions takes away the efficiency of getting farther in your workout. For example, in a full 30-60 minute workout, you only have to warm up once. If you’re working in sets, you also have time to progress in each set (ex: lifting a few pounds heavier in each round as you build up). But in a short workout, you don’t have that time to progress your movements.

As they say, the best workout is the one you’ll stick to. And as I say, the best workout is the one that brings you joy! So basically, the most effective workout will be whatever works for you. If you start trying to force longer workouts at a time in your life when that’s just not realistically sustainable, you risk adding stress and struggling to stick with working out at all.

With shorter workouts, it’s good to be moving so I think that’s SUPER important. My suggestion? Stay moving as best as you can but remember that you owe it to yourself for some dedicated self-care time and a longer, uninterrupted workout counts as major self-care 😉







PS – If you have a burning question you want to ask me, leave your questions below! I may answer it in an upcoming Dear Cassey post!

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Published on September 01, 2021 18:04
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