Whilst working out, it goes without saying that we want to see results, whether that it’s in how we look, our strength, muscle tone, endurance or general health. We’re all working out with an end goal in our minds and have different methods of how we hope to achieve this.
Over the past year or so, I’ve noticed that there seems to be a misconception that to get in a decent workout you have to spend half a day in the gym thrashing out your daily stresses on the treadmill. If that’s what makes you happy then that’s great, however after coming from a place where I used to over-exercise, cutting back as I thought this was the right thing to do for my body and then reigning in my workouts even more during pregnancy, I’ve discovered that I can get a fantastic workout in a short space of time. This approach has involved rethinking things and reanalysing what I wanted to achieve from my workouts. Being kinder to my body became the main focus, which for me meant gentler workouts that incorporated less cardio, more strength and yoga and took less time to complete.
Of course, there is no such thing as a bad workout. Anything that gets your body moving and your heart pumping is going to be beneficial to your health (as long as its injury free). A 10 minute workout can be just as good as a 60 minute workout and as I’ve recently blogged, there are plenty of effective shorter workouts that can be squeezed into your morning routine that can make you sweat and feel great. There does seem to be a hint of snobbery attached how long people workout and how much weight they can lift, which unfortunately, can be a downward slope into that evil comparison trap that we all find ourselves in from time to time.
Since relaxing my exercise routine, I’ve realised that I enjoy them a lot more and actually have more variety in what I do. Instead of just sticking to my 60-minute cardio and strength gym workouts from the past, I now run, practice yoga and Pilates and love my long walks outside. The fact that I don’t feel pressurised to exercise for 60 minutes at a time has given me a sense of relief and made my workouts more fun! I stop when I think I’ve had enough, but I still manage to challenge my body each time I workout because it’s doing a different activity each time – slowly but surely I’m seeing results, but with a less hectic fitness regimen.
Why do you work out? What are your thoughts on the quality over quantity idea?
I’ve started a similar approached lately, I’ve been listening to my body more and working out for half an hour at the time, and I’ve been enjoying so much more x
So happy to hear that you are enjoying your workouts more. :- )
I like to feel worn out after a workout and then I feel like something has happened. I really struggle to stay normal to slim, so I always feel like I’ve let myself down if I do less than 30 minutes…
Have you tried something different to make your shorter workouts more challenging such as increasing your weights or HIITS? It’s not for everyine though…
100% agree with the quality over quantity. If I’m going to CrossFit for example, and I’m exhausted before I even get there my technique is going to be shoddy and I’ll be risking injury and not progressing. Not my aim at all.
It’s something I’ve struggled to get my head around coming from my time as a rower training twice a day to now 5 times a week being my rough happy number. But now I see my life is SO much more than just working out, that’s just an awesome part of it.
I love your way of thinking Pip ‘…my life is SO much more than just working out, that’s just an awesome part of it.’ I think there are a lot of people out there who need to read these words.
I really good workout that makes the most of the time you have is much better than more half hearted workouts.
I totally agree! đŸ™‚
Now that I’m condensing my gym workouts to be more succinct I’m definitely realising quality is better than quantity. I’m just too tired to go to the gym more than twice a week now my mileage is building up, but I still need to go prevent injury. I just use my time more wisely to focus on the strength I need for running, rather than trying to get my heart rate up or doing any superfluous cardio.
I think that’s the thing, better use of time to get the best quality out of a workout. There have been times where I’ve been faffing around been in the gym for 90 minutes and haven’t felt like I’ve worked out at all.
I agree quality is so much better, but at the end of the day it depends on your aims. If you enjoy cycling for example, and it’s a social thing, then a 4 hour bike ride on a Sunday morning, with a stop off at a cafe or something, is better than a few short rides after work on your own. For me, I run because I enjoy it. Yes, I train for races, and that helps with motivation on the days I am tired from work or whatever, but if you took the races away I would still run.
Good point Maria, obviously a social cycle is going to last a lot longer than a regular workout because the aims are completely different. Glad that you get so much enjoyment out of running as I think that’s so important.
Some people aren’t ready for a high-impact workout that a 10 minute one would have to be to match the effectiveness of a 60 minute regular workout. I believe it is better to set yourself a caloric goal and work out however long it takes to meet that goal.
Although I do agree in some respects, sometimes a shorter workout can be far more beneficial and kinder to the body than thrashing it out in the gym for hours at a time 6 days a week.
I’m definitely a fan of shorter workouts.. though I need to get back on the workout train after moving and pup!
That’s always the way when you move, but you will be back to it in no time. Hope you are all settled in now.
Quality is definitely important. I see people in the gym who are more interested in their phones than working out! Phone can be a distraction and it’s better to leave it in the locker to get more out of your workout otherwise what’s the point?
I work out as it’s important for my health (I wrote an article about this here http://www.behealthynow.co.uk/healthy-living/how-exercise-can-improve-health/) but I also need to work out because of my knee problems..
Phones are definitely a distraction in the gym and I’m guilty of that one myself so try and keep it locked away so my head is solely into my workouts and not my Twitter feed!
For me I workout because I enjoy it. I love running, and I love being outdoors so long distance running just works for me. You can absolutely get an awesome workout in in a short space of time though, and I like adding those into my routine too.
I think that’s the most important thing. There’s no point doing something that you don’t enjoy.