Fitting in a workout on busy days isn’t always easy. Sometimes, it seems absolutely impossible to find an hour you can set aside, no matter how important it is. There’s great news to help you on those busy days. It isn’t a solution you’d want to use all the time, but it is a way to fit in exercise on those days that are simply too packed to do a full gym workout. Best of all, you can do these things throughout the day and the longest it will take you is ten minutes at a time.

Consider the four-minute Nitric Oxide Dump workout from Dr Zach Bush.

Nitric oxide is in the blood vessel inner layer called the endothelium. It’s made by the body to help send signals, which dilate blood vessels and allow a more robust delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles. Normally there’s only about 90 seconds of it stored, so if you work each muscle group for 90 seconds, you can get an efficient workout in just four minutes. Of course, you have to do this shortened type of HIIT several times throughout the day at least two hours apart. You start with three sets of ten repetitions of four exercises; squats, tin soldier, snow angels and military press. Gradually, increase the repetitions to 20 each set. You must remember to breathe through your nose.

Break up your exercise to ten minutes each session.

According to a study that was published in the Journal of the American Heart association, adult need at least 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise. That time was reduced to 75 minutes a week if the exercise was vigorous or intense. The study noted that the bouts of activity could be as short as ten minutes to get benefits. The study showed that people who got about 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise each day lowered their risk of death by 33.3 percent over sedentary people. Another study showed just 21 minutes a day (150 a week) did the same thing. Increasing activity also reduced the risk of death. It slashed it by 50% for 60 to 90 minutes a day and for those who worked out over 100 minutes, by 75%.

Walk 10,000 steps a day.

I love gadgets that help you get fit and a pedometer is one of those. It’s a constant reminder to get moving and boost your health. For those with a desk job, boosting your footsteps to 10,000 a day can help extend life, shed pounds and add to your overall fitness. Just keep moving. If you’re in a sedentary job, get up and move about more to get the extra exercise. Pace at your desk while mulling over a concept…it will also boost the oxygen to your brain and help you think better. It becomes a game that reaps big dividends.

• Take the stairs as often as you can, rather than riding the elevator. If you’re not fit enough to tackle going up several flights, either take the elevator for a few floors and the stairs the rest of the way.
• Take a few minutes to boogie. Turn on the radio or your favorite DVD and boogie down to the music periodically. It only takes two to three songs (they average three to five minutes) to get a ten minute workout. Do it throughout the day.
• Get help from your personal trainer. Trainers are always glad to help you develop an alternative workout for days you can’t make it to the gym. Doing something is always better than doing nothing.
• Make sure you laugh a lot. Laughter boosts your immune system, increases cardio capacity, aids breathing and actually increases pain thresholds. While you might feel silly, try laughing while you’re working out alone and you’ll actually feel the benefits it offers.