A major excuse for why people don’t exercise on a regular basis is because we don’t have enough time! Believe me when I say, I have been there! However, I have found an amazing solution called Tabata which is both time efficient and can be done anywhere! (Have you ever had enough time to work out, but not enough time to drive to the gym TO work out?!) This is why I am always on the lookout for low-maintenance and highly effective workout routines! Tabata is a from of high intensity interval training developed by Japanese scientist Dr. Izumi Tabata. The premise of a Tabata workout is to do a series of high intensity exercises for short durations of time, with breaks in between. There are several benefits of doing a Tabata compared to traditional exercise. Such as: increased anaerobic capacity, increased metabolism, fat loss, and time efficiency.
Excited? Me too. So let me break it down: a typical Tabata lasts 4 minutes long and consists of doing a specific move for 20 seconds then resting for 10 seconds. Repeat for a total of 8 rounds. Doing 3-4 Tabatas in a row is a great way to make an extremely efficient and challenging workout! However, start with whatever you can handle-the best way to spring into health is to start with acheivable goals and work your way up! Here is an example of my favorite Tabata workout:
Mountain Climbers (4 minutes)
Bodyweight Squats (4 minutes)
Crunches (4 minutes)
Push-ups (4 minutes)
Start with mountain climbers by doing 8 twenty second intervals with 10 seconds of rest between each interval. Once you have finished the mountain climbers, take a 1 minute break and then begin the body weight squats set.
Try a Tabata workout next time you're in a pinch for time or if you want to spice things up a little with your at-home workouts! And of course, let us know how it goes!