out of shape - need ideas for 5 min mini workouts

I start working at 4:30 a.m. and work until 6:00 p.m, sitting in front of my computer, typing all day.

Right now, I cannot commit a 30 minute chunk of time to work out, but someone suggested taking a 5-minute break every hour and so I am asking for ideas of what I can do. 

I am 49 yrs old, 5' 5" 160 pounds.  I'd love to whittle away my flabby thighs and tummy! 

Are these 'activities' good to try?  jumping jacks, squats, lunges, crunches, running in place ... etc.  I would like to get more ideas.

And should I mix up the "activities" during the day?  for example, jumping jacks, then lunges, then squats, etc.

or should I do the same activity on a daily basis?  Monday squats, Tuesday jumping jacks, etc.

any and all suggestions, comments, advice, etc. would be most appreciated!!

thank youl

wow this is a tough one!

i'd maybe look into Tabata type routines for 5-7 minutes- just note, you'll sweat like a fiend tho!

- melkor can fill you in, but start slow--

do you have access to any weights?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I believe your heart rate needs to be elevated for at least 10 minutes to reap the benefits of exercise.  Can you go from 5 to 10?

 10 minutes? For cardio benefits, possibly - for strength benefits, not neccesarily.

 I wouldn't start off with Tabata intervals though if you're not already somewhat conditioned. They're a great way to improve fitness, VoMax, anaerobic and aerobic capacity all at once, but a beginner doesn't need that kind of intensity to see progress initially.

 Regular interval training will give you fast, useful results without the strain of HIIT or Tabata training - and it's good to know that you've got a couple gears in reserve for when regular intervals stop giving you results and you want to kick it up a notch or two ;)

 When it comes to bodyweight strength exercises, there's a technique popularised by ex-spetznaz instructor Pavel Tsatsouline called "greasing the groove" - essentially, you'd teach your body to handle more volume by doing - well, more volume. You'd do a few reps of your chosen exercises, a lot of times through the day. The increased volume without training to complete failure is useful for increasing strength and strength endurance. It won't do a whole lot for your cardio fitness though!

 High-impact exercises like running, biking, step aerobics and so on, you need to do for a while to reap the full benefit from. Low-impact training like walking you can do in 5-10 minute chunks spread throughout the day and get the same benefit as doing it all at once. Obviously this is because the low-impact stuff doesn't provide that much of an adaptive stress on your body and consequently not much of a training effect overall. But the "not much" from walking around the house for 5 minutes beats the "nothing" from staying put!

 If I was working on bodyweight strength endurance, I would pick a few exercises - say, squats, pushups and inverted rows, and try the "grease the groove" technique on them. Which would mean that every hour, you'd do about half of your max reps.

 I'm not sure if that's neccesary for a beginner either though - or even desireable. For you, I think starting with one set of each exercise, and taking that 5-minute walk the rest of your breaks is a good starting point. Each week thereafter, you'd add another set until you'd worked your way up to the whole "grease the groove" level of training or you get bored and want to try something else, whichever comes first ;)

 That way you'd ease into a routine and build your body up gradually, rather than going straight for the overkill of training like a special forces soldier right out the gate ;)

how about sticking a rebounder in the corner of the room and hopping on every hour and jump about to some music?

ooh, that sounds like a fun challenge.

exrx.net is an excellent website with a lot of exercises, little animated pictures on how to do the exercises, and a build-your-own workout template. 

go through that and make up a routine out of one of their beginner templates.  where there is a body weight variation, choose that one because you are at home. then space them out during the day. and plan what you will do each workout day, and set a timer or other reminder.

For example:

Monday

 8am: squats.  11am: pushups  2pm: rows  etc.

If you can take some 10-12-15 minute breaks during the week, then
* jump rope
* run up and down steps (are there stairs in your house/building)

Do you have any more time on the weekend? If so, you could get in a little more cardio - a 30 minute walk or bike ride would be really good.   A mix that had a couple of 10-12 minute intense cardio sessions like jumping rope, plus a longer less intense walk or bike ride on the weekend would get you pretty far on your current schedule.

How about getting a big exercise ball and sitting on it while you work at the computer. It won't help with the cardio, but it will strengthen your core.

This appears to be some thing that you might be looking for.  Has some tips w/ videos for working out in the office. 

http://officeworkout.msn.com/default.aspx?sec tion=home&contentType=video&contentId =2&GT1=25043