Little workouts, max gains
Namrata Parker (38), a wedding planner from New Delhi, slogs 12-14 hours most days of the year. Parker has a team of four, but keeps all the planning and strategising to herself. That means never-ending phone calls and supervision through the day, leading to mental and physical exhaustion by the time she gets home. Parker often has no energy left to even take a short walk in the neighbourhood.
This is the story of most professionals today, whose to-do lists run longer than the hours in a day. Household chores, family responsibilities, a never-ending task calendar at work, and social commitments often lead to health being ignored. Such lifestyle may sustain you in the short-term but ignoring your health has long-term ramifications that can prove fatal.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends 150 minutes of physical activity every week. While that may sound a lot of time for someone like Parker who hardly has any time to spare, there’s a new trend that may be just the solution you were looking for. It is called fitness microdosing and it can upgrade you to a better you in no time.
What is microdosing?
As the name suggests, microdosing is about small doses. This can be applied to fitness as well, says Swetha Devaraj, an animal flow master instructor based in Bengaluru. Microdosing is the practice of integrating brief, targeted movement breaks or ‘microdoses’ throughout the day. Rather than dedicating an hour or more to a single workout, microdosing allows individuals to squeeze in quick bursts of activity whenever they have a few minutes to spare.
"I have always believed in the phrase—‘something is better than nothing’. Most of my clients come with an ‘all or nothing mindset’---which is why they fall off the wagon when they can’t find the balance between their busy lives and health. In our fast-paced world, packing an extended exercise sessions can be a challenge. Microdosing fitness, hence, is the answer,” Devaraj says. By spreading out exercise sessions throughout the day or the week, one can stay active without taking time off from other commitments
Joel Eric Pinto, a Delhi-based gym owner, personal trainer and certified nutritionist, says when he doesn’t have time to train, he either exercises for 20 minutes in a single go, or splits it into two 10-minute workouts over the day.
I choose two movements depending on what I have access to, with the most common ones being a push-up and a squat. I pick up a number that’s comfortable. For instance, I have worked my way up to 16 push-ups, which I do every minute for 10 minutes. This essentially means 15-20 seconds of work and 40-45 seconds of rest.”
Show up regularly
Consistency is crucial to see results in any fitness regimen. Microdosing workouts inculcate discipline by making exercise a part of the daily routine. Over time, this approach can lead to significant improvements in strength, endurance and overall fitness levels, says Devaraj.
New age, new rules
Not too long ago, people would remain more active through the day. Pinto says till about three generations ago, phone calls were either inaccessible or expensive, and taking public transport, walking or cycling were the most common ways of getting around. People engaged in more outdoor activities and social gatherings for entertainment, and ate fewer processed foods. Fitness was microdosed throughout the day. It’s only in recent years that we have become more sedentary and try to compensate for it by cramming all our movements into that one hour at the gym or a run,” he says.
Research shows any kind of movement improves insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular health, body composition and helps keep lifestyle diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure in check. A study published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport in 2014 compared the effects of accumulating 10,000 steps throughout the day versus completing them in one session.
“Movement can be microdosed by choosing to walk, taking calls while walking, or taking the stairs. Mindfulness can be microdosed by practising mindful breathing every time you find yourself stuck in traffic or at a red light.
Just like money, fitness compounds with how consistently you add effort over time,” Pinto says.
The best thing is you don't feel you are losing time when you microdose and yet transforming yourself to a fitter, more productive version of you. Now, that's quite a deal.
How to incorporate fitness microdosing
● Identify your fitness goals
● Break it down into shorter sessions
● Incorporate a variety of exercises
● Make exercise a daily habit
● Pay attention to how your body responds