Fit in 30

Details: Category: Wellness; February 25, 2015

Fit in 30

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I see you, working girl. I know you just finished saving the world—one agonizing e-mail, meeting, and conference call at a time.

You probably worked through lunch to "get ahead" in search of the elusive "inbox zero." Too bad that your sitting at that desk job for the American average thirteen hours a DAY is literally killing you.

Now since "treadmill" or "stand up" desks may not be the answer to your health via every workplace budget (nor have either of these things been one hundred percent shown to better the sitting down problem) it is up to you, my dear, to find a way to cram some exercise into this too-busy life of yours in an attempt to minimize the effects of that desk job you will likely not escape soon.

What better month to try out a new workout than February? It's heart healthy month, it's the month that all of the newbie "let's get healthy" January New Year's resolutions take a dive and your gym has your fave spin bike available with regularity again, it's still a safe distance away from "beach season," AND I saw how many Valentine's Day chocolates you crammed into your piehole, so it's time to work off those little devils. Wait: You don't have time to get to the gym? You know I've got your back. I'm a voracious reader and serial pinner, so I've been working on a few lists for you to get fit in 30 minutes or less—all from the convenience of your home gym (er, kitchen), with little to no equipment needed.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret that my trainer friend Melissa Hembrough turned me onto, called High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). More specifically, this version of HIIT called Tabata. Tabata rocks! It was invented in the 1990s by a Japanese professor, Izumi Tabata. He used it to get speed skaters in shape for the Olympics—um, awesome! I know you always dreamed of being an Olympian. It involves short, four-minute bouts of mega-intense interval moves for 20 seconds each performed eight rounds, with a 10-second break between each round. Don't worry about the math here; I've got you covered with this app and some videos below.

Turns out, Tabata is friggin' amazing. It can burn a whopping 13.5 calories a minute—and double your metabolic rate for 30 minutes afterward! Let me break that down for you in "I don't want to work out terms": That's a 20-minute sweat investment you make equal to 50 minutes—basically, buy one, get TWO free! Wrap your brain around that for a second ... after you are done working out, well into your couch surfing-Netflix binge, you are still technically "working out."

Now, you might be saying to yourself, "Thanks for the health communication lesson, Adrienne. Where do I find these magical exercises that practically do the work out for me?" You know I won't leave you high and dry. I've curated a magical library of free resources for your ass-kicking pleasure. Now, get up and move!

Top 30 Minutes or Less Fitness YouTube Channels

Top 30 Minutes or Less Pinterest Boards

Stuff to Guilt You Into Working Out
(i.e., You have as many hours in the day as Beyoncé and Oprah, so get movin', sister.)

Written by Adrienne Wallace, a college professor, director at 834 Design & Marketing, PhD student, wife, doggie mom, a former college athlete-turned super exercise slacker. Like you, she's tired and her time is not her own, so she relies on YouTube, Pinterest, and classes at Allegro Coaching in Eastown to keep her in reasonable "shape." On her birthday, she gave up the quest for "skinny" and embraced strength training. Strong is the new skinny. She has never felt better.

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