7 minute workouts....can you split it up over the day?

[Fishcakesandwich]

I need to do some radically reshaping. Have developed the most impressive middle aged spread ever, along with 2st.

No problem with the diet bit, I can do that. But I realise that to shift the middle I will need to do some core/strength exercises. Trouble is, I hate exercising and have no willpower for it. 7 minute workout sounded good, but I’m embarrassed to admit it is too long. However, I can stick to it if I split it over the day. So, 30 second plank in the morning before work etc. Effectively splitting the 7 minutes (or potentially more) over the course of a day, rather than all in one go.

Would this work at all or am I being completely stupid?

Abs are made in the kitchen so diet is 100x more important than exercise for weight loss.

For the 7 minute exercises, instead of splitting it into 1 minute chunks, just do as much as you can for as long as you can.
Work your muscles to exhaustion. Your fitness will increase really fast, so keep pushing yourself every day. Have you considered a program like The 30 Day Shred? Day 1 will kill you, but by day 30 you'll be doing all the exercises easily. It's planned out so you know exactly what you're doing every day. That takes away the need for willpower or choice; just put the video on, do it, then forget about it for another day.

Yoga with Adrienne is a YouTube channel with hundreds of yoga videos ranging from 5 minutes to 1 hour. Try these for something a little less high impact than the shred.

Good luck! Once you get into exercise and find something that works well for you you'll never go back!

Ok. I will try to push myself through as much of the 7 minutes as I can.

Had a quick look at the 30 day shred. Sounds so good...but...same problem. I’m just so incredibly lazy or something. I was really active as a teenager and super slim. Fast forward to 50 and here I am. I’m starting to see myself losing strength and balance as well as the weight/shape issue.

In no other aspect am I like this. I work really hard professionally, support others etc. But when I try to do any exercise...I just give up and can’t be arsed. I will happily spend two hours on the internet planning exercises for the next week. Might even do a spreadsheet and print it off.

Then the time comes ... and I just lay on the floor

Have a look at Lucy Wyndham-Read on you tube. Her workouts start at 3 mins and are low impact. Maybe try doing a couple of those across the day and start to build them up?

I would say you need to start outside of the physical stuff and focus on your WHY.

WHY do you want to start exercising? Is there a deeper, more meaningful reason than middle aged spread?
So is it to stay healthy, trim your waist line so you don't have a higher risk of heart attacks/obesity etc.?
Is it to stay healthy for your children? Is it for your self confidence?

Find your WHY.

For me, it's my son. I want to set an example to him. I want him to grow up realising exercise is necessary and important. I dont want him to be looking after me in my 70s and 80s. I want longevity of life and I want it to be healthy. For my son.

It will get easier quite quickly. Push yourself a little.

Plink that is a really good point. Hadn’t thought about that. You might have hit the nail massively on the head.

When I think about, I’m not sure if I know why. Not much in my life is enjoyable. You read about how exercise improves more than just physical fitness. Hoping for that I suppose.

I can assure you that it does work.

I spent the best part of 10 years on antidepressants. I asked my doc to come off them when I was ready and to help me with the withdrawal I used fitness to keep my spirits up.

I still use it now. I still suffer with anxiety a little but its manageable with my workouts. I get a wonderful serotonin boost afterwards.

After a couple of weeks you will start to feel it too but I really would say that splitting a 7 min workout won't have that same benefit. PP said do as much as you can and steadily increase how much even if its an extra 30 secs. You will build up to it and it will feel so good to finally achieve it.

Keep thinking about your why, put together a rocking playlist to keep you motivated and go for it. You can do it!!!