An effective workout in just four minutes? Fitness expert Lorrie Sullenberger says it’s possible.

Four-Minute Workout and Other Tips From Lorrie:

Women really do need 45 minutes to 1 hour of exercise, 4 times a week. But if you are having a hard time starting, or the season has you strapped for time, this 4-minute workout is surprisingly effective, as it is such high intensity that it produces what is called EPOC (or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). This process elevates the metabolism from 16 to 36 hours after your workout trying to return your body to its resting state. And that process burns calories! The goal is to keep your body burning calories for as long as possible after the workout. Make your workout work for you.

I recently came back from a fitness conference where a lot of attention was focused on this kind of workout because the number one reason people give for not working out is time and this high intensity workout you can do anywhere and keeps you burning calories long past the actual exercise.

The goal is to workout on a perceived level of about 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. In layman’s terms, BREATHE HARD! I tell clients breathy: like Marilyn Monroe.

Here are three examples you can do at home:

  1. Stand tall with your hands stretched over your head. Then Squat down and spring up in the air. Then down back into that squat position. Do not spring up with the balls of your feet. You are thrusting up with your glutes and quads. Do 30 and repeat 3 times. Most of my clients can only do 20 at a time.
  2. Jumping switching lunges. Get into a lunge position and jumping back and forth switching leg positions from front to back. Be careful of your knees. Your form may not be perfect but you are keeping the muscles stressed the entire time. Again If you can do 3 sets of 30.
  3. Using the bands loop it around a post or leg of your desk then standing with your core tight and pulling the band tight pull to the right side and then to the left. quickly. You will work your core, shoulders, arms and cardio at the same time.

These are just three examples and the idea is really just increase your intensity of anything.

Some pointers:

  • High Intensity
  • Do multi-joint exercises
  • Perform three sets of each exercise
  • Lower your rest time between exercises
  • Do interval training

And remember it is very important for proper post exercise nutrition. A super high intensity workout without food as fuel - your body is going to think you are starving it and start slowing down your metabolism to help save you from what it thinks is the coming famine.

Remember proper rest. By that I mean sleep so the body repairs. A growing body of research indicates that sleep is very important for weight control as it helps balance hormones that keep our weight balanced.

ABC & News. The View From The Bay. [September 10, 2008] Available from: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=view_from_the_bay/health_fitness&id=6382676