60-Second Workouts

You can do a lot in 60 seconds, like whip up a smoothie, update your Facebook status or find out if that plastic stick you just peed on is going to turn pink and change your life forever. But get a full-body workout?

Yep.

Cutting your exercise into tiny bits is a genious way to sneak toning into a day that seems too packed even for a lunch break, much less a workout, say the experts at the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Here’s what to do if you’ve only got a minute (literally): Each time you get up from your desk or pass through the kitchen, stop and do a single minute’s worth of moves. By the end of the day, you’ll have accumulated enough activity to make a real difference to your fitness and your weight.

Here’s how the experts suggest you spend your 60 seconds:

- Devote 30 seconds each to push-ups and crunches.

- Do burpees (aka squat thrusts) for 60 seconds.

- Follow along as trainer Geralyn Coopersmith demonstrates this fun 1-minute full-body workout on the Dr. Oz show.

Of course you’ll get more benefit from doing 5 or 10 (or more) minutes at a time. But on days when that’s just not going to happen, becoming a minute man (or woman) is a savvy solution.

Got a minute? We thought so.

If you could spend one minute doing whatever you want, what would it be? Let us know in the comments section below.

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File under: Fit Friday