‘I would exercise more, if only I could find the time.’

It’s the most common excuse out there for limited activity – a lack of time. While stressed office workers and business gurus are accustomed to complaining about their sixty-hour schedules, it’s rare to find a single professional that does anything about it. There’s no reason not to exercise – lacking time, motivation, or ability are all the same thing – weak, meaningless excuses.

For the truly time-short, we’ve prepared a simple pre-breakfast workout. It’s designed for employees and professionals on a rigid schedule – the same demographic that’s so often complaining about this apparent ‘lack of time.’ If the thought of exercise is something that you’ve banished from finding its way into your brain – or your diary – then give it a shot. It might even help you quickly lose weight.

Minutes 1-5: Light Rowing

Hop on your rowing machine, set the resistance to its lowest level, and move through the motions associated with rowing slowly. Your goal in the first phase of this quick workout will be improved flexibility and light aerobic strain – breathlessness is not the ideal goal.

Minutes 6-10: Power Rowing

You’ve warmed up. Now increase the level of resistance you’re pulling against – we think that setting ‘five’ is a good choice – and slowly accelerate until you’re rowing at a steady pace. Your goal in this phase is to improve muscular strength – are you feeling the burn?

Minutes 11-15: Endurance Rowing

The ‘endurance’ phase of this micro-workout calls for you to lower the resistance level, decrease your rowing speed, and focus on maintaining a steady pace for the final stage. Relax and take it easy – you’ve woken up, burned calories, and built up a sweat for the morning shower.