I started working out seriously when I was eleven. I don't really know why; my brain rationalized things differently than other children's, and that just seemed like something an eleven year old should do. I exercised almost every day for an hour or more, and continued that practice for nearly twenty years. Then I turned thirty and became . . . tired. Not because I turned thirty, but because, you know . . . life stuff. There was just so much of it. It was hard not to end my days feeling drained. Visits to the gym certainly didn't help the situation. Not to mention injuries I had ignored for so long were finally seeking their revenge: thirty isn't old, but it ain't spring chicken status either.

Then someone told me about this genius program called the 7-Minute Workout, and my world changed. I don't know the science behind it, but the New York Times broke it down in a blog entry. The gist is, you can get an hour's worth of treadmill time packed into seven minutes — albeit intense and uncomfortable ones — by rigorously performing key moves that target specific muscles, with very little rest time in between.

I've practiced these seven minutes consistently for the past month, and they work. Like, well. I don't tend to do just the seven minutes and call it a day, but the addition compliments my fitness routine and has allowed me to drastically reduce gym time. But on the days when I can't make it out, or I'm really tired but feel like I need to do SOMETHING, this workout still leaves me feeling good. While you can find several free variations of the app, I prefer the one from Wahoo Fitness. It not only gives you the standard 7-Minute program for free, it also includes a revised complimentary workout from Glamour magazine that I personally think is even more demanding.

So good news: you can work out even when you think you can't or don't want to!

Shit, wait, that was supposed to be good news, not unfortunate news. Sorry.