60 Minutes

Illustrated by Jacqueline Davis Moranti

Did you know that an hour is more or less 4% of our day? That is why every hour counts, and making sure to use it wisely is of the utmost importance. My gym time is sacred, when I'm there I want every minute to count because I have goals that I want to reach and things that I have to do each day.  There are so many thing to factor in like commute time, the post- sweat rinse, the prep time... and suddenly working out can take up quite a chunk of your day. Over the years I have found that 60 minutes is all I need for my on-the-go lifestyle. If you can succeed at making the most of your time, you can achieve the benefits of a 90 minute workout or longer in just 2/3 of the time! The key is to monitor your rest periods and go with a plan. 

Here's how I break it down....

0-5 Minutes

For the first five minutes I like to stretch and warmup the areas and muscles for which I will be focusing on that day. Prepping your body for the workout is always an essential because it wakes you up and prevents you from getting any injuries. The way that you stretch your body has a way to make or break your workout because this time can increase your mobility and help you get deeper into the exercises thereafter. 

5-20 Minutes
For this allotted time, I like to get my heart rate going by infusing some intensity exercises. This type of exercise is done with maximum and explosive effort for a short amount of time, this helps your body focus on generating strength and force quite quickly. Think kettlebell swings, weighted lunges, squat jumps, burpees, etcetera. I do this for 3-4 rounds and keep the rest intervals below 30 seconds. 

20-45 Minutes
My favorite portion, strength training! This is where the warm up matters, starting out stiff just slows you down and could possibly stop you from achieving the results you want. With strength training I spend more time focusing on it because this helps with the muscle mass, injury prevention and posture. I tend to do 6-12 reps for 3-4 rounds and increase by 10%. Depending on your fitness level you can adjust that to how you like. Always practice proper form to avoid injury!

45-55 Minutes
For the final portion, some cardio without intervals is great. Doing a steady 10 minute cardio session after strength training helps you burn more calories without the intense pressure on your muscles. Give a quick run on the treadmill, hop on the stair climber, the elliptical or the stationary bike and see how much you can accomplish in 10 minutes.

55-60 Minutes
The all important cool down. For me it depends on how difficult the workout was for that day, sometimes I'll sit in the sauna or I'll foam roll the muscles that were worked that day. This can help alleviate some of the next day soreness.

You can implement this 60 minute routine into your schedule without skipping a beat! We live in such busy times, there's always a task at hand that needs to be done but sacrificing your overall health and wellness shouldn't be an option. Dear readers, give this a try and let me know how it works out for you! Also check out a few of my favorite items that'll make your workouts effective and speedy!