Exercising in Short Spurts

The United States Department of Agriculture's latest standards recommend adults get at least two and a half hours of moderate exercise each week to stay healthy. However, with the average American's busy lifestyle, few have an extra two to three hours to spare. Fortunately, this can easily be accomplished by working out in spurts. Just six, 25-minute mini-workouts, over six days, or two-short 15-minute workouts a day for five days, meets the USDA requirements.

Walking or Jogging

• Turn that early morning walk with the dog into a jog.

  The nice thing about walking and jogging is that it can be done almost anytime, anywhere and without any special equipment. Turn that early morning or evening walk with the dog into a jog. It will benefit you both. If you have a busy work schedule, try to squeeze in a 15-minute brisk walk on your lunch break. Speed walking and jogging can burn around 100 calories in just 15 minutes. Many employers offer one or two short breaks in addition to a lunch break each day. Use that time for a quick walk or climbing the stairs instead of lounging in the break room. You'll feel more relaxed and refreshed.

Circuit Training

• Circuit training gives you a total workout in 25 minutes or less.

  Short on time? Don't give up your gym membership just yet. Many popular fitness centers have an area reserved for circuit training. This type of training is designed to give you a complete workout, including cardio, in just 20 to 25 minutes. Alternately, you can do your own circuit at home. Lara McGlashan of "Fitness" magazine recommends the following routine: alternating lunges for two minutes, squats followed by overhead presses for one minute, jogging in place for three minutes, lateral ski jumps for one minute, pushups for one minute, supine-mountain climbers for one minute, followed by holding the plank pose for one minute. Repeat the entire routine for a total of 20 minutes.

Housework and Yard Work Counts

• You don't need to go to the gym to get a good workout. Spurts of housework or yard work can burn a significant number of calories and help tone muscles. Try 15 to 25 minutes of vacuuming, dusting, mopping floors, mowing the lawn or even gardening. Registered dietician Juliette Kellow notes that housework is a great way to burn calories. The average woman will burn around 49 calories per quarter hour vacuuming or mopping, 73 calories per quarter hour gardening and 129 calories a quarter hour just walking up and down stairs.

Get a Hobby

• Yoga is a great way to get a whole-body workout in just minutes.

  Of course, exercise does not have to be a chore. Find an activity you enjoy to incorporate into your weekly workout routine. Biking, swimming, tennis and yoga are just a few examples. Each of these can be done in short spurts and still provide great benefits. For instance, although yoga sessions typically last an hour or more, the popular yoga routine known as Surya Namaskar, or Sun Saluation, stretches the entire body and takes just a few minutes. It's a series of 12 poses, practiced one after another, in sets of at least five. Five Sun Salutations will take about 10 minutes, and can be repeated as needed.