Crank up the intensity, in short doses

Crank up the intensity, in short doses

Light movement around the house is a great start, but “every minute of higher-intensity activity is associated with better health outcomes than every minute of lower-intensity activity,” says Meyer. “So if you’ve got five minutes, the more you can do in those five minutes, the better.”

If you want to do more intense short workouts, start doing squats, lunges, pushups and planks, McDonald says.

“A lot of bodyweight exercises are really good to do throughout the day, [and] help with circulation.”

If you’ve never done these exercises, she suggests starting with squats.

“That’s a great place for everybody to start,” she says. “Just lean your back against the wall and bend the knees and see how comfortable you feel.”

As for how many squats or lunges we should aim for, she says, “there’s no magic number.” Just fit in as many as you can in the time you have. “Maybe you really only have two minutes. Well, do what you can in two minutes.”

You can try adding some weight to your mini workouts using objects around your house like a can of beans or a sack of sugar, says McDonald. But take care not to grab anything too heavy until you get a sense of your own strength.

If more intense effort feels daunting, remember that “exercise, even at a light intensity, might be giving you the same mental health effects as the higher intensity stuff,” Meyer says. Especially, if you’re depressed and/or not walking around much to begin with. “Doing anything in those five minutes is better than doing nothing.”