Following on from the idea of small wins (here) – to make starting possible and to spur us on – here are some 10 minute workout ideas.

Is ten minutes the recommended amount of daily physical activity?

Nope! But neither is 0. You have to start somewhere, and where better than somewhere doable and not too intimidating?

So here they are, starting nice and gently:

• Walk around your neighbourhood. You only have to go for 5 minutes, and then just turn around and come home!
• Stretching. If you can’t face the idea of getting active, have a bit of a stretching session. Your body will feel much better for it, and it will still get your blood flowing.
• Consider ‘non-exercise’ activities like gardening and cleaning. You don’t have to be in lycra to get a workout. Put on a timer if you need to, and make a start.
• Try some yoga. This article includes great ideas about doing yoga at home, as well as a 10 minute sequence to try. Or else get on YouTube and try this one or this one (or search to find a sequence that appeals to you!)
• Try some zumba, it’s a bit of a dance workout and can be lots of fun. Yes, if you’re anything like me you will feel totally uncoordinated in some spots, but hey, that’ll get better as we go, won’t it?? Try this, or this.
•  Maybe get into kettlebells. I started with kettlebells just recently and I’m really enjoying it. You can buy a kettlebell at a sports shop or even places like Kmart. This is the workout I have been doing, or try this one.
• Or if you feel like doing some simple body weight exercises, try this, or this, or this.
• And of course there’s always this models’ workout.

Give a few things a try with the aim of finding something you like. You don’t have to do any of them more than once, if they don’t inspire you. You don’t even have to finish them if you don’t gel with the instructor or like the content. But you DO have to keep trying until you find something you like enough to be able to complete and even repeat. There are so many options out there, you WILL find something. Keep looking until you do.

At this point, if you’re doing workouts, I would be looking for ‘total body’ ones. You might be fixated on toning up your inner thighs or your abs, but using your whole body and especially the big muscles like bum, legs, and back will power up your ‘calorie burning’ and give you a balanced, happy body.

The secret is to find a level that is hard enough, but not too hard. Find the level that is motivating for you. Don’t go all out just because you think you’ll get faster results, if having to go all out actually puts you off. If starting slower means you stick with it, then that’s the best result.