It’s no secret that exercise provides countless benefits for the body and mind. But what’s particularly encouraging is how quickly these health benefits can set in, especially when it comes to our mental health. Getting a mood lift via a mini workout can happen in mere minutes, so get ready to soak in the good-mood vibes with these five trainer-approved mini-workout routines.
According to researchers at the University of Michigan, as little as 10 minutes of physical activity each week makes a “significant difference” in a person’s mood. If 10 minutes of exercise a week shows an improvement, imagine what 10 minutes a day could do.
The type of exercise doesn’t seem to be a factor. Researchers determined that everything from aerobic exercise to stretching exercises can be a boon to mental health. So whether you prefer a CrossFit Mini Murph workout or a simple walk, either has the ability to lift your spirits quickly.
DailyOM sought out top fitness professionals to share their favorite mood-boosting workouts that can be done in as little as two minutes with minimal equipment, making them perfect mini workouts at work on your lunch break or wherever else you may need some extra endorphins.
If you’re not feeling up to a high-intensity workout, don’t sweat it. You can still get a boost of happiness with only five minutes of deep breathing, which also prompts the body to release endorphins, says the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
Note: Please make sure to consult your physician if you have any concerns before trying out a new workout. If at any time you are exercising beyond your current fitness abilities, or you feel discomfort, pain, dizziness, or nausea, you should stop exercising immediately.
Mini Workout #1: Cardio Bodyweight Blast
Time needed: 5 minutes
Equipment: None, but if you have an elliptical machine, you can substitute a mini elliptical workout for the running in place
The beauty of this workout? “You can do this anywhere at any time to get the feel-good hormones flowing,” Tom Holland, exercise physiologist and author of The Micro-Workout Plan: Get the Body You Want without the Gym in 15 Minutes or Less a Day, tells DailyOM.
How to do the Cardio Bodyweight Blast: Perform the circuit twice, for 5 minutes total. If you feel up for more, add another circuit or two.
1. Warm-up: Run in place for 60 seconds.
2. Do jumping jacks for 30 seconds.
3. Do skaters for 30 seconds. Alternate jumping side to side from one leg to the other while leaning over to touch the floor as best as you can, imitating the look of a speed skater.
4. Run in place for 60 seconds.
5. Do jumping jacks for 30 seconds.
6. Do skaters for 30 seconds.
7. End with pop squats: Stand with your feet hip distance apart, bend into a squat like you’re trying to sit in a chair until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Then to stand up, press through your heels and straighten your legs. Repeat for 30 seconds. A more advanced squat is the squat jump. Instead of standing up and then popping back down into another squat, you jump up and then repeat your squat.
Interested in learning more? Check out 4-Minute Metabolism Booster
Mini Workout #2: Full-Body Blast
Time needed: 15 minutes
Equipment: A towel or yoga mat to lie on
Another recommendation by Holland, this intense mini workout hits the trifecta of cardio, weight resistance, and abdominal strengthening in just 15 minutes and can be done anywhere.
How to do the Full-Body Blast: Do each exercise for 30 seconds and perform the circuit three times, taking a 60-second break between circuits.
1. Warm-up: Run in place for 60 seconds
2. Squats for 30 seconds
3. Bicycle crunch: Lying on your back with your hands behind your head, alternate touching each elbow to the opposite knee as you simulate riding a bicycle. Repeat for 30 seconds.
4. Jumping jacks for 30 seconds
5. Plank, either on your knees or on your toes. Hold your plank for 30 seconds. You can always work up to it if you’re not ready to do a crunch for 30 seconds. Take a break if you need to.
6. Regular crunches for 30 seconds
7. Push-ups, either on your knees or toes, for 30 seconds
8. Double crunches: Lying on your back, bend and lift your knees to meet your nose, and your head and upper body to meet your knees. Slowly lower your head and feet to the ground at the same time and repeat for 30 seconds.
9. Burpees: Do a squat. From the squat position, place your hands on the floor and kick your feet back to land in a plank position. Then do a push-up, jump back into your squat, then stand and jump up into the air. Repeat. Burpees can easily be modified. For example, do your push-up from the knees instead of the toes, or skip the push-up entirely and return to a squat from the plank position. You also don’t have to jump back into a squat — you can step one leg back and then the other, if that’s better for you. Finally, if you prefer to stand up after your squat and skip the jump up, that’s fine, too. Play around to see what feels right to you.
Mini Workout #3: The ‘Hot Girl Walk’
Time needed: As much or as little as you want
Equipment: None
A TikTok trend gone viral, the #HotGirlWalk simply means plugging into your favorite upbeat music and strutting your stuff. It all started when Mia Lind, the college student who trademarked the phrase, wanted to find “an exercise she didn’t dread,” she tells PopSugar. And a brisk “Hot Girl Walk” can do the body and mind a whole lot of good. Also known as a power walk, this exercise provides physical health benefits — it supports joints, strengthens muscles, keeps off excess weight, improves sleep, and stops the loss of bone mass, says the Arthritis Foundation — in addition to improving your mood.
How to do the Hot Girl Walk: Taking a Hot Girl Walk is simple. Lace up your sneakers and get going. While you walk, clear your mind of negativity and contemplate three things: what you’re grateful for, your hotness, and your goals. That’s it! Aim to walk one mile in 13 to 20 minutes to get up to a power-walk pace, suggests researcher Stephen Anton, PhD, who studies obesity, metabolism, and aging, but it’s up to you to set the pace and distance that’s right for you.
Mini Workout #4: Your Heart Is Calling
Time needed: 3–10 minutes
Equipment: An area to run as fast as you can for 20 seconds and a bench (optional)
This “tabata” workout is courtesy of Judson MacDonald, CPT, a certified group fitness instructor, personal trainer, and learning and development specialist for the online workout platform Les Mills International. MacDonald is a big proponent of exercising for the myriad mental benefits. “When you ask the average exerciser why they show up, it’s often for an aesthetic result,” he tells DailyOM. “Most take for granted the cool chemicals in our brains [triggered by exercise] that create a mood boost.”
How to do Your Heart Is Calling: A tabata workout means that each exercise is done as many times as possible for 20 seconds with 10 seconds of rest in between. Thanks to the fast pace and variety of the workout, you can do as little as three rounds to get in a super-quick mini workout, or you may find that 10 rounds go by in a snap!
Perform each exercise for 20 seconds (doing as many reps as you can) with 10 seconds to rest. Then begin the next exercise. Aim for two to three rounds to get the endorphins flowing.
1. Run in place for 20 seconds, then rest for 10.
2. Single squat: This is a simple squat, but MacDonald likes to have knees pointing slightly out to the sides rather than straight ahead. Repeat for 20 seconds, then rest for 10.
3. Burpees: Repeat for 20 seconds, then rest for 10.
4. 3-step agility run (also known as lateral high knees): Run three steps to the right, pause with left knee lifted, run three steps to the left, pause with right knee lifted. Repeat for 20 seconds, then rest for 10.
5. Squat jump: Squat, and then when you stand up, push off with your toes and jump into the air with your arms lifted overhead. Repeat for 20 seconds, then rest for 10. You can do this on flat ground or, if you’re more advanced, jump up onto a workout bench or workout box.
6. Sprint forward four steps, then run back four steps. Repeat for 20 seconds, then rest for 10.
7. Jumping jacks: Repeat for 20 seconds, then rest for 10.
8. Ladder run: Start running in place with a burst of speed for a few seconds, then slow down into a jog. Repeat for 20 seconds, then rest for 10.
9. Tricep push-up: This is similar to a traditional push-up, but keep your elbows at a 45-degree angle, touching your sides during the whole push-up. Repeat for 20 seconds, then rest for 10.
Mini Workout #5: Burpee Beep Test
Time needed: 2 minutes
Equipment: None
How to do the Burpee Beep Test: Give your body a short, sharp cardio kick by doing burpees. To make it a bit more fun, follow this online burpee beep test. Each time the timer beeps, do a burpee, without the push-up, followed by a jump to the right or left and a rest. Alternate the jump to the next side after the next burpee. The beeps speed up as the video goes along, so the workout gets harder and harder.
“If you want to shift your fitness fast, burpees will make it happen,” MacDonald says. “With this one simple yet challenging move, you can send your heart rate through the roof, build cardio endurance, and accelerate good feelings to last hours after you finish.”
Bonus Mood Boost: Move ‘n’ Groove
Time needed: As much or as little as you have. You can do this on its own or as an add-on to any of the workouts above.
Equipment: None, but if you have a mini trampoline, dance and jump on that for a mini workout
How to do the Move ‘n’ Groove: Cultures around the world have long known the benefits of dance to lift people’s spirits. There’s no wrong way to dance and move your body, but if you want, incorporate a few movements that have been proven to bring about joy, such as “reaching your arms up; swaying from side to side, like concertgoers losing themselves in the music; other rhythmic movements, such as bouncing to a beat; or taking up more space, like dancers spinning, arms outstretched,” reports The New York Times.
So when the blues begin to set in, don’t let them linger. Grab your music, get moving in any way you feel inspired to — or try one of the above mini workouts to boost your mood — and let the happy vibes in.
