Not going to the gym? Try 10-minute workouts

Michelle Basch, wtop.com

OWINGS, Md. – Perhaps a month ago you promised yourself you’d get more exercise. If you haven’t lived up to your New Year’s resolutions, a local trainer says there’s still hope.

Quite a few people sign up for gym memberships in January, then say they’re too busy to use them.

“What people think is ‘I’ve got to be there for an hour,'” said Roxie Hinton, a personal trainer at World Gym locations in Calvert County.

She says it’s not true.

“If you can come to the gym, give me 30 minutes in the morning. Or even if you can’t come to the gym, (do) three 10-minute workouts during the day,” said Hinton.

She suggests getting out of bed 10 minutes earlier and walking your dog or using your at-home treadmill for 10 minutes before work. That’s your first workout.

“At work you can do push-ups against your desk…(and) squats, coming down and going up,” Hinton said. That would be your second workout.

Your third quickie workout could come after work.

“In the evening, de-stress yourself. Do 10 minutes of yoga.”

Another thing you can do is get a pedometer that counts your steps. Hinton said should be taking about 10,000 steps a day, not including your workout.

“I tell my clients, if you can’t come to the gym I want you to put 500 more steps or 600 more steps on that pedometer. Just because you can’t come, doesn’t mean that day is shot,” Hinton said.

Hinton says you need to accept that you’re going to miss workouts, and when you fail, you need to pick yourself up and continue with your program.

“I want you committed. You’re going to have a bad day. You might hate me now, but you’ll love me later,” Hinton jokes.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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