Guest Post by Tamara via Fit Knit Chick
The two most common excuses for not exercising are lack of time and lack of money. Between work and family commitments, schedules are full. Gym memberships can be costly. And when you add travel time to workout time, exercising at a gym can consume an hour or more of your day.
Why not make the choice hundreds of other healthy adults have? Get fit at home!
Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment, only a small amount of space is required and you can get great results with as little as 15 minutes a day. What are you waiting for?
You’ll need a few things to get started:
- 2 or 3 sets of dumbbells (new exercisers might consider sets of 5, 8 and 10 lbs)
- a yoga or gym mat (for floor work)
- a good quality skipping rope (ask for help at your local sporting goods store in choosing the appropriate length for you)
- a stability ball (to be used as both a bench and a tool for strengthening your core)
Your 15 minute, whole body workout should include one or two exercises for each major muscle group:
- legs (for example, dumbbell squats or lunges
- back (dumbbell bent over rows or reverse flys)
- chest (pushups or dumbbell chest presses or flys)
- shoulders (seated or standing dumbbell shoulder presses or dumbbell lateral raises)
- abdominals (planks or crunches on the mat or the ball)
Aim for 10-15 repetitions of each exercise performed in circuit style (one exercise after the other with minimal rest between). On days when you have more time, complete the circuit a second or even a third time.
To promote fat loss and improved cardiovascular fitness, sprinkle short bursts of high intensity cardio throughout the circuit including:
– jumping jacks
– running in place
– squat jumps
– burpees
– skipping
Remember to spend a few minutes at the beginning of your workout warming up (light calisthenics and range of motion movements are great) and a few more minutes at the end with some recovery stretching (one stretch for each major muscle group worked).
You’ll be finished your workout and on with your day before your next door neighbor has even finished packing her gym bag! No more excuses!
Read more from FitKnitChick.
Photo 1 via Tamara Grand
Photo 2 courtesy of Ambro via FreeDigitalPhotos.net
What a great well-rounded workout Tamara! I have a couple of free weights that I’ve been ignoring in my closet, but I think I’ll bust them out to round out my home yoga practice!
Excellent Sabrina! I was stuck at home yesterday and threw together a little home workout too. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do!
GREAT POST! There is always time if you want it bad enough & out on a fave TV show if you want to & listen while you work.. but always pay attention to your form! 🙂 OR, put on some fun music!
Thanks for your comment Jody! I agree, not enough time is just an excuse. I’m gonna do 20 pushups right now, just to make a point!
Great guest post Tamara! =) My biggest problem is getting the weights into my hands at home. I have two sets and a bunch of awesome videos but I need to take the goal and turn it into a habit! If only m cell phone were a free weight instead of this lighter than air contraption =) Then I’d HAVE to lift! <3
Read the Tabata Training article on the Fitness and Activity page. You could do these exercises in 24-32 minutes and mix it up a little and save yourself a lot of time and over $500 in gym membership fees.