I used to be such a time snob when it came to working out.

I vowed to be the longest one at the gym, not even counting a “workout” unless it exceeded over 60 minutes. Soon, one workout wasn’t even enough, and I’d demoralize myself whenever I didn’t attain the infamous two-a-day.

Newsflash. This lifestyle is not sustainable.

I mean, if you’re a fitness professional, MAYBE. But I am an actual real life fitness professional, and last week, I took three days off from working out. Because...life.

So, do short workouts really make a difference?

I thought you’d never ask. And, yes, they do. A big difference, actually.

Tabata workouts involve 20-seconds of all-out effort followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated eight times for a total of four minutes. Every four-minute sequence is one complete Tabata. Mixing up the movements is a great way to diversify this quick workout method.

A common consensus among scientific studies suggests that 10-15 minutes of high-intensity training is, first of all, better than nothing at all, and second of all, a completely reasonable amount of time needed to improve general fitness.

Are you going to win an Iron Man? No.

But are you going to improve your overall health in comparison to staying seated for 10-15 minutes? Hell yes.

In an article for Better by TODAY, Michael Joyner, M.D., an exercise researcher at the Mayo Clinic, writes, “A 5- to 10-minute workout, if done consistently, coupled with building as much cardio into your daily life by doing things like walking the dog and taking the stairs every chance you get, can all add up to get you in shape.”

Adidas conducted similar research (you can read more here), and the benefits of short workouts included:

Significant decrease in mortality risk
Better control of blood sugar levels
Improved mental focus

The key is to make the workouts vigorous (think somewhere between an 8-10 on a scale of 1-10). And, of course, consistency.

A piece by Selene Yeager in Women’s Health recently raved about the infamous HIIT workouts (which stands for high-intensity interval training). Yeager writes, “...researchers found that a 10-minute workout, with just one minute at high intensity, has the same benefit as 45 minutes of jogging.”

The science is actually quite simple. Short intervals of high-intensity exercise involve a lot of muscle mass, which therefore require a tremendous amount of oxygen. As a result, your body is trained to tolerate the intensity and also to recover from it.

Moral of the story is that you can stop beating yourself up about not having enough time. You also don’t get to use the excuse anymore that you don’t have enough of it.

I started the TL Method because I believed that time should never be a barrier of entry for all people to enjoy and appreciate fitness. I committed to workouts less than 60 minutes, and I incorporated rest days to prove to you that it is, in fact, not a dirty word.

Nicole Oester, a newer team member, wrote, “Just started the program a few weeks ago, but I can already say that I’m probably saving at least an hour a day on the whole workout process by doing the TL Method at home and not spending brain-power planning my own workouts. In the past, I have equated longer and harder gym sessions to a ‘better workout’ but that is just not true. I appreciate the efficiency of the TL Method workouts.”

I’m here to inspire you to move.

Do you need to do any one specific program? Of course not.

But do find the program that works for you. And know that time is actually on your side. The minute that you start to view it as your enemy, the less and less motivation you will have to enjoy the moment while working out.

If you’re looking for a program that offers quick workouts coupled with accountability and motivation, I’d love to offer you a free week in the TL Method (just click here). We’re not for everyone, but we just might be for you.

Benefits of Quick Workouts