Finding time to exercise can be a challenge for many individuals with tight schedules. But what if we tell you that even just 10 minutes a day can make a real difference in your fitness and well-being? Short bursts of activity throughout the day can increase your heart rate and make your mind more alert. Author Yasmin Karachiwala’s ‘The Perfect 10’ delves into how 10-minute workouts can be effective and what routines are best for those who want to make the most out of their time. Yasmin Karachiwala is a prominent Indian fitness trainer and celebrity fitness expert, with 20 years of experience in this industry. She is renowned for her work with Bollywood celebrities, helping them achieve their fitness goals through customised workout routines and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

 

Whether you're a busy professional, a parent juggling responsibilities, or simply someone looking for a quick exercise routine, these short and effective workout plans can help you stay on track with your fitness goals.

 

The following excerpts are taken with permission from the book The Perfect 10, Penguin Random House, written by Yasmin Karachiwala

 

…Movement can mean scheduled exercise or cardio workouts, but it can also mean the simple act of moving. There are many ways you can fit movement into your day, but it should be practical. Walking over to your colleague to convey information instead of sending an email is a technique that is often prescribed. Emails seem to be more about documentation than laziness anyway, and it’s more efficient to dash off a message versus chit-chatting for 15 minutes over something that takes you just 1 minute.

 

Exercising during your lunch hour is another suggestion that has legs for those who have a lunch hour to begin with or access to an exercise space, but it may be hard to fit in some movement on a street littered with obstacles like crowds, hawkers and sometimes, the street itself.

 

Either way, you don’t have to take technology lying down. Find your own ways of squeezing movement into the day. From doing more household chores to walking short distances for errands, experiment with ways that work for you.

 

For me, the sneakiest way to add more movement is to walk while I’m on calls. If you have calls to make—5-minute chats with your carpenter or 60-minute conference calls—talk and walk at the same time. It doesn’t take any extra time, and it’s a break from sitting. From struggling to finding time for movement, this one simple lifestyle change will add thousands of steps to your day. If you do this for just four to five calls of 10 minutes each, you would have walked for 40 extra minutes! Do try and walk with headphones or earphones, though.

 

Talking for long periods with your phone held up to your ear may cause muscle imbalances, and exercises to ease them can be found in the bonus Posture Stacks at the end of Chapter 3.

 

You could also have the last laugh by using technology to bring more movement into your life. If your work requires a lot of sitting, do what I do and set phone alarms for 5 minutes each hour to get up and walk around, which will easily get you to 6000 steps over a twelve-hour day. Or use treadmills with standing desks, which are trending right now. There are also smart watches that help you monitor your movement or fitness apps that help you stick to your goals—tools that not only make you more aware of how much you’ve done but also potentially motivate you to do more.

 

Your body has a use-it-or-lose-it policy and at some point, that policy expires. The more you move, the more you can move. Movement doesn’t require large spaces and you can make do with what you have. Whenever I get asked to speak at an event, I make the usually seated audience get up and move, which of course makes me very popular. If you’re here and reading this book, chances are you have an extra 5 minutes, so why don’t we get a little movement while you read? All you need is a chair.

 

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YASMIN’S FIVE GET-OFF-YOUR-BUTT EXERCISES

MOVEMENT EXERCISE 1: CHAIR SQUAT

What is it: As the name suggests, you have to squat using a chair by ‘pretending’ to sit on it and then standing up.

 

Steps

1. Stand in front of a chair with your back to it and your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Bend at the hips to lower the glutes towards the chair.
3. Brush your hips to the chair and stand back up.
4. Repeat Step 3 for 1 minute.

 

Check your form

Make sure your knees don’t extend over your feet, and take care to keep your back neutral and not rounded.

 

MOVEMENT EXERCISE 2: TRICEPS DIPS

What is it

Dipping your body off the edge of a chair, using your triceps.

 

Steps

1. Sit on a chair with your knees bent, hands next to the glutes and fingers pointing forward.
2. Extend your elbows to lift your hips off the chair so that they are hovering.
3. Bend the elbows to lower the hips down towards the floor and then extend the elbows to come back up.
4. Repeat Step 3 for 1 minute.

 

Progression

To make triceps dips more challenging, you can extend your legs further ahead at the time of getting into position.

 

Check your form

1. Make sure your fingers are pointed in the direction of your feet.
2. While lowering your body, make sure that your knees are over your ankles.
3. Do not shrug your shoulders.
4. Bend at the elbows.
5. Keep your hips close to the chair throughout the movement.

 

Related Post: The Perfect Push-Up Technique For Beginners

 

MOVEMENT EXERCISE 3: CHAIR PUSH-UP

What is it

As the name suggests, using a chair to do push-ups.

 

Steps

1. Stand facing a chair.
2. Place your hands on the seat or on the arms of the chair, your wrist under your shoulders.
3. Straighten your legs to come into a plank with your body in a straight line from your head to your heels.
4. Bend the elbows to lower the chest towards the chair, keeping the body in a straight line.
5. Extend the elbows to come back up.
6. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 for 1 minute.

 

Check your form

1. Make sure your body remains straight, from your head to your heels.
2. Bend at your elbows.
3. Keep your neck and spine neutral.
4. Don’t forget to engage your abdominals, and squeeze your glutes.

 

MOVEMENT EXERCISE 4: ALTERNATE KNEE LIFT TO CRUNCH

What is it

Abdominal exercises that can be done on the chair.

 

Steps

1. Sit upright on a chair, your knees bent and feet hip-width apart. Interlace your fingers and place your hands behind your head.
2. Lift one knee towards the chest simultaneously contracting the upper body towards that knee.
3. Lower the foot and straighten the back to come back to the starting position. Repeat with the other leg.
4. Alternate legs for 1 minute.

 

Check your form

1. Make sure your elbows are wide and not bending inwards.
2. Keep your arms behind your head.
3. Engage your abdominals.

 

Related Post: 3 Stretches for People Who Have A Desk Job

 

MOVEMENT EXERCISE 5: CHAIR JACK KNIFE

What is it

Abdominal exercises that can be done on the chair.

 

Steps

1. Start by sitting on a chair. Hold the chair at the sides, behind your hips, and straighten your legs in front of you.
2. Hover your feet off the floor as you lean back.
3. Contract both your upper body and your legs towards each other, bending your knees.
4. Extend both away from each other.
5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for 1 minute.

 

Check your form

1. Try not to shrug your shoulders.
2. Engage your abdominals.