No motivation to exercise? Workout stacking is the solution

For some, sports is a moment of happiness and for others, it is hell on earth. I undoubtedly belong to the latter group. A tiny bit of reluctance is enough for me not to go. The idea that I have to stand in the gym for an hour makes me much prefer to lie back on the couch and continue watching my series. But there is now a new trend going on and it is something for me: workout stacking. Even I have no excuse now, because just five minutes of exercise turns out to be good for you.

With this technique, you ‘stack’ certain workouts to effectively get your body moving. Because let's be honest: short exercises in a row sound a lot better in the ear than running on the treadmill for an hour. You can start with a ten-minute HIIT workout, then add a five-minute yoga session, and finish with some stretching exercises. But it can also be different. If you want to do more cardio, you can go for a walk outside instead of stretching. And if you are more into training your core, you could add a few minutes of Pilates. Exercising this way almost sounds fun.

For your motivation, it works wonders in any case. Five minutes of yoga is of course a bit more accessible than a twenty-minute session. When you complete such a short workout, it motivates you to continue and throw in a few more exercises.

But that's not the only advantage, because in terms of time management, it's ideal. If you have long days and still want to exercise, you can spread your workouts throughout the day. In the morning you do some yoga, in the afternoon you go for a walk, and in the evening you end the day with some abdominal exercises. Just a fun fact in between: Meghan Markle was already doing workout stacking during the filming of Suits. With her beautiful body in those tight skirts she wore back then, it must have had an effect.

So come on, get off that couch, because there is now no excuse not to move. Look up some fun exercises on YouTube, queue them up, and one more tip: put on your favorite sportswear. Every little bit helps.

Source: poosh.com, image: @christinanadin