Some short workouts for women are perfect but some aren’t. Find out the secrets to getting all the benefits of longer workouts in a short routine right here! (Hint-it’s all about intensity.)

Are you wondering if a quick workout can be just as good for you as a longer workout?

That’s a great thing to be asking yourself considering women’s crazy busy schedules these days. #allthethings

Let me tell you why (sometimes) short bouts of regular exercise can be just as good for you as longer routines.  And why it’s ok to substitute your longer workouts (guilt free) on days you don’t have more time (as long as you’re subbing in the right way).

✔ And stick with me until the end for 3 places you can find the best quick workouts for women.

For years we’ve been conditioned to think that we needed to exercise in sessions of at least 30 minutes (to see results in your body and achieve the health benefits we’re all after).

But recent studies have shown that (some) quick workouts (of even less than 20 minutes) can be beneficial and just as good for you as longer workouts.

What??

It’s true.

And if you’re like most women, trying to squeeze in a workout session in between a full-time career, kids’ activities and a few minutes of ‘down time’ with a glass of wine and Project Runway, before you go to bed and wake up to repeat it all, then this is the best thing you’ve heard since the news that peanut butter was, in fact, good for you! (*three cheers for the phrase ‘healthy fats’ *)

Consider these facts:

✔ Studies have shown that short intense workouts can improve cardiovascular health, burn fat, and build lean muscle (Attention>>every woman should be working on building and maintaining muscle).

✔ Research has suggested that short intense exercise periods can help with weight loss.

✔ Short bursts of exercise may even increase your lifespan.

The thing you need to understand is that not all short workouts are created equal.

All of these studies that support the idea that short workouts can be just as beneficial as longer routines were looking at exercise sessions that use very intense periods of exercise with brief rest periods—known as a high intensity interval training (aka HiiT style workouts).

So, the steady pace you might normally use in a 45+ minute long workout won’t get you the results seen in these studies in a short (20 minutes or less) routine done at that same pace.

To apply the benefits suggested in the studies to your own workouts, you’ll need to bump up the intensity (if you want to get results) in your quick workout sessions.

With HiiT workouts you work at 100% effort for 20-90 second intervals.  There are short recovery periods between each interval where you catch your breath but your heart rate stays elevated the entire time.

*Think of doing sprint intervals, it’s the same concept, but depending on the exercises you do, can get you cardio benefits as well as muscle definition.

So, as you can imagine, this type of workout is very intense.  And not for everyone.

But I recommend you try it.

The blast of endorphins you get from HiiT style routines is amazing (and will convince you that these workouts are the real deal).

So, where can you find these types of quick workouts for women?

Below are 2 good free options and one (excellent) paid choice.

Two places to find free HiiT workouts:

You Tube

Just do a search for HiiT workouts and, Voila!

Out will pop hundreds of cool choices.

The downside to using You Tube is that you’ll have to regularly search out new workouts and you won’t really know what you’re diving in to until you hit play (and there’s a chance you’ll find out the workout isn’t what you thought it was several minutes into it).

Pinterest

You’ll do the same search on Pinterest that you did on You Tube.  Just type in HiiT workouts and you’ll get a bazillion images of workouts.

The downside to using Pinterest for finding your quick workouts is that you might have to scroll for a while to find what you’re looking for.  Also, one of two things will happen, you’ll be able to click over to the workout, OR you’ll need to print out the workout.

Printing something out may or may not be a big deal for you but remember if you print out your workout you’ll be in charge of pushing yourself through the routine and you’ll need to have a timer to clock out the HiiT intervals.

Option 3 for quick workouts is my favorite!

I’ve got 5 kids and have spent years trying to maintain an effective exercise program between a career, a family life, and kids’ activities.

As a licensed medical professional for 20 years and a former personal trainer I was excited when I did the research about HiiT workouts.

And it inspired me to create my own workout system for women looking for quick workouts that’ll fit perfectly into the lives of women today, while getting you the results you’re after.

My 10 Minute Workout System is full of over 30 workouts that are all around 10 minutes long.  There are a ton of HiiT style routines as well as core workouts and strength training.

The 10 Minute Workout System is set up as an exercise on demand membership that you can stream into your living room the same as you do Netflix, so you can do your workouts at home.

Here’s a peek inside the membership:

Every membership includes lifetime access, several workout rotation calendars (a 30 day calendar that suggests exactly which workouts to try over a 30 day period) and a huge library of routines you can count on to challenge you.

Get more information about the 10 Minute Workout System today

So, are quick workouts as good for you as longer workouts?

Yes, they can be, if you’re doing the right routines.

I recommend you find a combination of longer workouts PLUS HiiT style training for your unique life and busy schedule.

Because regular exercise will make your life better.  You’ll feel healthy and strong and able to face the world as the best version of you.

Want to read more about short workouts?

Here you go–>>HiiT Workouts for Women: The Awesome Truth About Short Workouts and Where to Find Them

Thanks for reading!