The answer (like many things in fitness) is ‘it depends’. Of course, if you have a specific event or goal that you want to achieve, you might have a program that you are following which basically will determine how long you should be training for.
‘How long should I train for?’ With mobility training, and general fitness, I say, the amount that you can manage (and enjoy!) before you feel stressed about it.
If you believe you need a 60 minute workout, plus getting ready, plus a shower afterwards, plus any commute to a facility or set up time in your house, suddenly it can perhaps feel very unrealistic and daunting for many. Doing some extra housework, watching the next episode of Stranger Things, scrolling on socials or catching up on emails suddenly feels like the easier decision. And these alternatives usually become the reality. *Disclaimer, these are all things I have done*
If you have thirty minutes, or if those thirty minutes feel less daunting, take the thirty minutes to move. If it is ten, also grab that. I have heard many people say ‘I don’t have enough time to train’, ‘I only have X minutes’. Whatever time you have, it’s okay! Try to accept it and use it to the best of your ability. For example, if I have the kettle boiling, that’s when I do some upper back releases or doorway mobility. I try to really stay away from pressing the Instagram icon on my phone and use it as time to enable better desk dwelling habits. This is literally only two minutes, but I have used it to mobilise!
One of my clients really needed to get her child to bed early so asked if she could finish 15 minutes earlier so they could still have family dinner at the time needed for bedtime. Absolutely! It was a 60 minute class, now it is a 45 minute class, easy peasey! We switch up the intensity and hey presto, a great training session and bedtime routine was successfully accomplished. It could have been easy for her to say the time didn’t work this week but instead she made the most of the time she did have, and we had a great session.
In all honestly, sometimes we use time as a barrier. If I only have X minutes, is it really worth it? I say yes! Whether it is a walk, yoga, weights, mobility, it is still time for you chosen by you. I designed the Move Better Mobility Portal so there are workouts, stretch sessions, yoga flows, mobility training, conditioning, tutorials all from 60 minutes to 10 minutes. Whatever your time pressures and commitments are for the day, there is a class for you.
Sometimes you don’t even need to change your clothes or need any equipment. My mission is to enable you to add mindful movements with as little barriers as possible. The decision is usually whether you want to move or not, rather than if you have the time.
So the next time you look at the clock and think you don’t have enough time to move, remember that a little bit of something is better than a whole heap of nothing!
And I promise you, that on the the Move Better Platform, we have plenty of treats for you to keep you moving and grooving no matter that time pressures you have in your life.
