Always worn out? The single best way to get your energy back is to exercise, even if you don’t feel like lifting a pinkie toe. New research shows just how strong the connection really is—and how doing even a little helps you in a hurry.
Think of exercise as your energy-back guarantee: A groundbreaking 2006 study from the University of Georgia reviewed 70 other studies of more than 6,800 people total and found that regular workouts consistently increased energy and lowered fatigue in adults of all ages (and even worked for people with conditions like cancer and heart disease). Best of all, it didn’t take months of hard-core workouts for participants to reap the benefits.
Ready to get going? We’ve got your foolproof kick start to feeling great again—fast. Keep it up for 8 weeks, and you’ll take off 10 pounds, too.
This day-by-day plan from Ellen Barrett—Pilates and yoga instructor and owner of The Studio by Ellen Barrett in New Haven, Connecticut—gives you a combination of the best energy-boosting ingredients: stretching, strength training, and cardio. Just follow our schedule (below) for our weekly mix of stretches and strengtheners and quick cardio boosts.
Monday
Start
the week right with 20 to 30 minutes of your favorite cardio-boosting
activity. Think: “I’ll feel better once I begin to exercise”—and ditch
that “I’ll exercise once I feel better” excuse.
Tuesday
Wake up with
our four easy energy moves. You’ll start by holding each pose for 10
seconds but can build to 40 seconds as you get stronger.
Wednesday
Do
up to 30 minutes of cardio: brisk walking, easy biking, or water
aerobics. Try it in the morning when you have more stamina, says
exercise physiologist Stella Volpe, PhD, RD, of the University of
Pennsylvania.
Thursday
Do
all four easy energy moves. Hold each pose longer or add more reps
(you’ll start with 10 reps but can build to 40) as you get stronger.
Friday
Kick back and relax!
Saturday
You’re
doing it all today—the four easy energy moves and your favorite
cardio—but you can do the cardio in the a.m and the moves later on.
Want to pump it up? Add five minutes to your cardio.
Sunday
Do
just two moves today: Stretch It Out and Bust Tension. Feeling better?
“Some people feel energized immediately,” Volpe says. For others, it
takes a week or two to get the real energy buzz.
Now, onto Your easy rev-up plan.