Try a 5-minute Mini Workout
The number one excuse for not exercising is “I don’t have enough time” followed by “I don’t have any equipment or I’m stuck at the computer all day”. Maybe you don’t have enough time to workout for an hour or even 30 minutes but I bet you can find a few 5 minute windows throughout your day. Never underestimate the power of seemingly small steps towards better health and fitness. You might be pleasantly surprised how much better you feel with just a little bit of activity. Any kind of movement is better than prolonged sitting. In the field of sedentary physiology, scientists have discovered that at about the 45-minute mark the decline in health takes a sharp plunge downwards. There are dangerous changes in fat burning enzymes, cholesterol and blood sugar levels in the bloodstream. The recommendation is to offset this trajectory by getting up and moving around for 4 to 5 minutes. Set an alarm on your phone or watch or activity tracking device. Any kind of activity is beneficial even if you’re just walking around the house, the office, the yard etc. And for those of you that do go to the gym regularly don’t think you are off the hook. The prolonged sitting is still detrimental to your health even if you get the hour-long workout in every day but sit in front of a computer for 8 hours.
The following exercises are some simple suggestions that can be done anywhere and do not require a gym membership, workout clothes or even an extraordinary amount of energy. In fact, if you are feeling a little sluggish this is the very thing you need to be doing and you will most likely feel energized after moving your body around.

Pick any 5 exercises – Do 30 to 60 seconds of each
1. High knee lifts with elbow to opposite knee
2. Counter top or desk top push ups
3. Squats (almost sit on the chair – stand back up and contract your glutes)
4. Dips off a hard chair
5. Standing hamstring curls (butt kicks)
6. Standing side leg lifts
7. Plank w/elbows on the floor or in a chair – 45 seconds
8. Standing straight leg lifts to the front, reach arm across to opposite leg
9. Seated crunches in a chair or on the floor
10. Mountain climbers in straight arm plank – 45 seconds

Don’t want to do any of these exercises? Choose 5 of your own but try to make them compound exercises that use multiple muscle groups at once in order to maximize your time investment. If you have dumbbells laying around, grab them and integrate them into your mini workout for added resistance.  Remember – something is better than nothing at all.
Have fun!

Check out my video below demonstrating a sample mini workout.