Think you are too busy to exercise?

The Internet has been buzzing for the past week over a new workout plan that promises to get you in good shape and takes less than twenty minutes of your time. The workout requires no equipment and all you need is a chair and some time.

The New York Times calls it the 7-minute scientific workout. The workout consists of 12 exercises that should be performed in a sequence, allowing 30 seconds for each exercise with 10-second breaks between exercises.

The 7-minute workout has excited the developer community as well and there are now a host of apps - both for the web and mobile - to help you perform these 12 exercises as per guidelines.

For web, there’s the open-source Angular 7min that runs full-screen and guides you through the 7-minute workout with visual clues and an elegant timer. And the app will work just as nicely on your mobile as well.

Android users may consider the 7 Min app that offers similar functionality but inside an app that also works offline. The app is free and there are no distracting ads either.

And the appropriately named Seven Minute app should be perfect  for iPhone and iPad users though it is just a fancy wrapper around the previously discussed Angular 7Min web app.

Monica Olivas, a certified personal trainer, has created a YouTube video that demonstrates the proper way of doing these exercises. Melanie Pinola has curated a YouTube list at Lifehacker where trainers discuss each of these 12 exercises in greater detail.

Also see: The 20-20-20 Eye Exercise for Computer Users

One more thing. The original study recommends exercise of at least 20 minutes and thus you may want to repeat the 7-minute workout 2-3 times in a row for maximum benefit.