The Beauty of Short, but Effective, Workouts

A woman rides a Peloton Bike in a hotel fitness facility.

As teams return to the office and schedules start filling up with summer activities and travel, finding the time for fitness gets a little bit harder. Consistency is key in helping meet fitness goals and while we all enjoy a 30, 45 or 60 minute session, even five or 15 minutes of exercise can make a difference, boost physical fitness and lift your energy and overall mood. In fact, last year, shorter workouts soared in popularity, as studies showed that five minutes of calisthenics or even four seconds of bicycle pedaling - could effectively improve adults’ health and endurance.

A lack of time also consistently ranks within the top reasons people do not exercise. That’s why Peloton’s most recent products and partnerships are designed to combat time constraints, travel plans and other potential barriers – so that people who may only have five minutes to spare on any given day are still able to properly prioritize their health and well-being.

The Peloton content library has thousands of classes ranging from five to 90 minutes across 16 different disciplines, so we have you covered.

Dr. Vernon Williams, a sports neurologist and founding director of the Center for Sports Neurology and Pain Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute

Increase intensity.

For a shorter duration workout, consider increasing the intensity (after proper warm-up, of course). Think more HIIT (high intensity interval training) with less time available, and moderate intensity with more time available to maximize every minute.

Add variety.

Consider trying something new or different, like training neuromuscular programming with the short period of time available. Take this workout to really focus on form or super-precise movement, which will also benefit your longer sessions.

Incorporate brain training.

Consider incorporating more “brain training” focused work on balance and vision or meditative walks and focused breathing. For example, if you don’t have the physical space – or are simply not in the mood for a HIIT-style workout – there is value in brain training exercises to uplevel physical and mental health in a time crunch.

Trust your molecular memory.

Don’t be hard on yourself if you miss a day or two. There is a concept of “molecularly memory” which essentially means that your cells will “remember” previous activity when you resume your normal degree of intensity. Within about two sessions, experiments show return of BDNF (a protein) release at rates equivalent to those that were present prior to the time off. So don’t beat yourself up over missing a couple of days of high intensity or longer workouts.

A woman scrolling through classes on the Peloton App while standing outside.

Even if you’re away from home, it’s easy to access the Peloton experience via the Peloton App or with our hospitality and travel partners. If you’re flying, you can meditate and stretch with free Peloton classes exclusively on all Delta Air Lines flights equipped with seatback entertainment globally.

You can even find out if your favorite hotel in the U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, or Australia has a Peloton Bike using the Peloton Hotel Finder. Or if you’re staying at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, Hyatt Grand Central New York, Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Hyatt Regency Dallas, Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch, you have the opportunity to try Hyatt’s StayFit Private Fitness pilot suites. Each location will have a suite outfitted with a Peloton Bike, Precor treadmill, and other fitness accessories. Guests will be able to book the suite via the hotel website for one-hour increments for a fee.