How To Make The Most Of A Half-Hour Gym Session

Written By Sheryl Wright / Reviewed By Ray Spotts

While getting exercise each day is essential to your health, you may not have very much time to spend at the gym. Even if you have just 30 minutes per day to exercise, you can get the results you want. These tips will help you achieve your fitness goals even when your lifestyle keeps you from spending hours at the gym.

Start With a Plan

Most people don't think about what they're going to do once they arrive at Portland gyms beyond knowing that they'll be working on their legs or doing cardio. When time is short, it's a good idea to have a more detailed strategy planned out in advance. Know which machines you're going to use, and know the order in which you'll use them.

You should also have an alternative activity in mind in case the machine you've chosen is in use by someone else. Creating a detailed plan will help you jump from one activity to another without missing a beat. Keeping your heart rate and respiration quickened in this way will help you reap better results from your short workout.

Create a Good Playlist

If you have been working out for a while, you may already know that music affects how well you perform at the gym. For that reason, you should create a playlist that's about 60 minutes long to ensure it will last throughout your workout.

You can also start listening to it early to help motivate you for your workout. Often people find that starting their day with some upbeat or motivational songs will reduce the chances that they will skip their workouts. Be sure to choose songs that make you want to exercise, and skip the love ballads.

Eliminate Distractions

Those closest to you should know not to bother you during your workout. Additionally, you should set your phone on airplane mode to ensure you won't be distracted by phone notifications. Each time a notification distracts you, it will take you up to seven minutes to get back into the task at hand. Just one distraction can be enough to ruin the momentum you have built up in your workout.

By the time you build back up to your previous pace, your workout will almost be over. Considering your workout is only 30 minutes, there are very few emergencies that can't wait until you hit the locker room.

Start With a Dynamic Warm-Up

The importance of stretching before working out cannot be understated. However, when your total workout time is limited to 30 minutes, you won't want to waste all that time stretching and warming up. In that case, you can use a series of dynamic stretches to warm up faster. This involves moving quickly from one stretch to another instead of holding each pose for a minute or two.

You'll have to plan out which stretches you'll use so there won't be any hesitation between the various stretches. A dynamic warm-up routine can loosen your muscles more quickly and raise your heart rate ahead of starting the actual workout.

Reduce Rest Periods

You should also reduce the amount of time you spend resting between sets. While your body does need a rest period between sets, the time you spend relaxing is probably too much. You should only be resting long enough to allow you to work hard in completing the next set.

If you're feeling fully recovered between sets, you're definitely spending too much time on your rest periods - particularity when you only have a half hour for your workout. Reducing rest periods will help you fit more exercise into each workout. The amount of time it takes you to partially recover will vary, but it should never be more than one to two minutes.

If it's taking you longer, you may be lifting too much weight for your size. Reduce the weight until you can recover more quickly.

You can also reach your fitness goals sooner by looking for ways to fit more exercise each day. For example, if you walk home from the gym, this gives your body an opportunity to cool down instead of wasting gym time on this part of the workout. You can also look for more opportunities to walk, go cycling, or jog in your daily life. Every little bit of physical activity will count in helping you meet your ideal fitness goals.

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Written By:

Sheryl Wright is a freelance writer who specializes in digital marketing, inclusive business, and interior design. If she is not at home reading, she is at a farmers market or climbing in the Rockies. She currently lives in Nashville, TN, with her cat, Saturn.

Reviewed By:

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.