CLEVELAND -- Shelly Lawrence's interior design business is thriving. So this single mother of three doesn't have a lot of free time for exercise.

At 47, Lawrence is well aware of what working out does for her health, but she also appreciates the bonus.

"I mean, of course, everybody likes looking good. But to me that’s the icing on the cake," Lawrence said. "If you keep doing it, it is going to have that benefit for you."

Finding the time to do it is the tough part, which is why she exercises whenever she can.

That's led her to Jake Barb, a fitness trainer at the Westlake recreation center.

Barb said, "A lot of the research suggests that the body doesn't know the difference between one bout of 30 minutes of exercise, or three bouts of 10 minutes, or six bouts of five minutes."

Barb is a strong believer in Tabata Intervals -- a Japanese approach to exercise which he often uses in Lawrence's workouts.

Local Trainer Promotes Shorter Workouts

Each five-minute interval starts with a one-minute warm-up.

The rest of the time you do as many reps as you can of the same move for 20 seconds. Then rest for 10 seconds.

"You'd be surprised at how much work you can get done in four minutes if you're doing the same exercise," Barb said.

Each time you do a five-minute burst during the day, you work a different muscle group.

You can do six five-minute bursts in a row. Or you can spread them out over the day and night.

The point is to do them.

"It's good science. It's not just something that sounds fun and looks cool. It's actually going to work," Barb said.

Contact Info:

Jake Barb:
FitByJake@gmail.com
440-670-1531