How to get fit in just 7 minutes
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ|April 2023
Experts reveal the bite-size workouts to transform your body.
JENNY FRANCIS-TOWNSON
How to get fit in just 7 minutes

Think you have to work out for a solid hour to see results? Always telling yourself you have no time to exercise? Then listen up. It turns out that people who "exercise snack" - fitting in bite-size workouts more frequently - are better able to stay motivated and fitter in the long term than those who do longer but fewer workouts*.

According to the Human Performance Institute, working out at high intensity for just seven minutes significantly improves muscular strength and cardio fitness, which is great for your heart and lungs. What's more, it can do you more good than one epic gym session a week.

Cecilia Harris, founder of fitness app Results Wellness Lifestyle, says the biggest mistake people make is working out for too long. "Unfortunately, people have been led to believe they have to exercise for an hour or attend a 45-minute class for their exercise to be 'worth it', but this simply isn't the case," she says. "As soon as people realise a seven-minute workout is enough to give them huge benefits to their health, the better the results they get."

Why seven-minute workouts really work

We all know that finding the motivation to exercise isn't easy, and 'I don't have time' can often be a huge mental barrier. Life coach Jeff Spires says when you are able to convince yourself that you do have time, it can be a game-changer.

"When you think you need to commit to an hour or even 30 minutes of your day to exercise, it can feel overwhelming," he explains. "But seven minutes? Your brain will accept that is reasonable because, let's face it, we can all put aside seven minutes in a day."

They help to increase motivation

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 2023 من Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 2023 من Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S WEEKLY NZ مشاهدة الكل
PRETTY WOMAN
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

PRETTY WOMAN

Dial up the joy with a mood-boosting self-care session done in the privacy of your own home. It’s a blissful way to banish the winter blues.

time-read
3 mins  |
July 2024
Hitting a nerve
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

Hitting a nerve

Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes could aid physical and mental wellbeing.

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2024
The unseen Rovals
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

The unseen Rovals

Candid, behind the scenes and neverbefore-seen images of the royal family have been released for a new exhibition.

time-read
2 mins  |
July 2024
Great read
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

Great read

In novels and life - there's power in the words left unsaid.

time-read
2 mins  |
July 2024
Winter dinner winners
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

Winter dinner winners

Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of budget-concious recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.

time-read
3 mins  |
July 2024
Winter baking with apples and pears
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

Winter baking with apples and pears

Celebrate the season of apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the cold weather blues away.

time-read
7 mins  |
July 2024
The wines and lines mums
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

The wines and lines mums

Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.

time-read
10+ mins  |
July 2024
Former ballerina'sBATTLE with BODY IMAGE
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

Former ballerina'sBATTLE with BODY IMAGE

Auckland author Sacha Jones reveals how dancing led her to develop an eating disorder and why she's now on a mission to educate other women.

time-read
7 mins  |
July 2024
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN

When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.

time-read
8 mins  |
July 2024
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO START
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO START

Responsible for keeping the likes of Jane Fonda and Jamie Lee Curtis in shape, Malin Svensson is on a mission to motivate those in midlife to move more.

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2024