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To get the most from your workout, health professionals advise working out for half an hour to an hour every day. But what if your work schedule or other factors don’t leave you that much time to devote to exercise?

Identify New Opportunities

If your schedule doesn’t allow you a big chunk of time in which to work out every day, you will have to make do with several smaller chunks. The good news is that there is always time to get in shape, even if it simply means moving around more in your spare time and on your day off. Use household chores as a chance to exercise and get your home clean at the same time! Gardening and walking the dog around the block are great everyday activities that need to be done anyway. And they all count as exercise.

Every stolen moment counts

If you are thinking that short spurts of exercise wouldn’t affect your fitness level, you’re in for a surprise. One recent study showed that participants who spread out their exercise throughout the day into 10-minute blocks are disposed to exercise regularly, and shed more pounds in 5 months, compared to most women who’d rather work out straight for an hour.

What other experts say

Exercise physiologist Glenn Gaesser’s recent study conducted in Virginia involved men and women who exercised for 10 minutes at a time. The startling results showed that these men and women were able to dramatically improve their overall health by conducting 15 of these 10-minute sessions per week for one month. At the end of that time, Gaesser found his subjects as fit as men and women who were 20 years younger.

Breaking your workout up into small chunks to better fit lifestyle has many benefits. Harold Taylor, who specializes in time management, says that short bursts of exercise can boost your self-esteem and keep you motivated to stay healthy and keep moving. Otherwise, you can become frustrated that you don’t have time to work out and give up altogether.

Not a replacement

Remember, however, that short exercise blocks are intended to make use of available free time; it should not take the place of your existing fitness program. Here are some practical tips to squeeze exercise in your daily routine even if you “don’t have the time.” Don’t tackle all of them in one day; simply choose the ones that work for you.

* Take a quick walk to the corner and back, about 5 to 10 minutes of your time, first thing in the morning.

* If you work from home or take a day off because your child is sick, take a ride on the exercise bike or make use of the treadmill.

* Jump rope or do jumping jacks. This burns as much as 90 calories in 10 minutes.

* Practice upright push-ups in between household chores by pushing in and out from the shoulder.

* Play games with your kids during the afternoon. Kickball and croquet are good for younger children. Older kids will enjoy playing football or other sports.

* Take a hint from exercise instructor Sheila Cluff, who stores dumbbells in her bathroom so she can do a few sets before bedtime. Cluff is a professional fitness expert at The Palms in Palm Springs, CA.

* Walk around the field while your son has a baseball practice.