Got 10 minutes? I can get you in shape!

June 10, 2009

Sounds a lot like an infomercial, doesn’t it?  But this actually works!  Study after study after, admittedly, redundant study has proven that you can achieve almost all of the same benefits of traditional exercise by breaking your work outs down into 10 minutes.  You just have to know how to do it!  

A new client, K, had her second baby about 6 months ago.  She came to me to organize a custom Belly Bootcamp for herself and a group of girlfriends and ended up meeting with me to have a personal exercise program designed for her to do at home.  At the time, her newest son was sleeping about an hour twice daily.  A couple of weeks after meeting and giving her the program, I emailed K to find out how she was easing into the routine.  She was beside herself with frustration – her baby had stopped napping consistently and was now going down for just 20-30 minutes at a time when he napped at all.

By the way, hearing about her nap crisis was nauseating as I am just months away from going through it all over again!  Poor mommies – it is just so freaking hard to do it all for that first year, isn’t it?  Let’s be honest.  It sucks...

She had given up her fitness program until I suggested we break her program down into short work outs that she could squeeze in during even the shortest nap, in the morning before hubby left for work, in the evening after the boys were down and EVEN when the baby was just happily playing with a toy alongside her – the work outs were that short!

Here’s a 10-minute work out you can do at home – no equipment required – that will deliver a combination of strength and cardiovascular training to burn fat, improve your cardiovascular health, ease stress and build strength (click on the link for a photo)!  If you can’t time yourself, do about 10-20 reps or as many as it takes to reach a level of fatigue – “fatigue” means you couldn’t comfortably do any more reps with good form.

Minute 1 - cardio

Run stairs, do jumping jacks, run on the spot or do anything that uses your whole body and gets your heart rate up!

Minute 2 – upper body & core

T Push up – on your knees and hands, do a push up, then lift one arm and twist to a side plank position; hold briefly, then lower back to push up position.  Repeat with other arm to complete one rep.

Minute 3 – lower body & core

Prisoner squat – with hands on head and feet shoulder width apart, squat until thighs are parallel with floor; hold 2 counts, then return to standing. 

Minute 4 – upper body & core

Plank – on forearms and toes, hold “plank” position for one minute or 2 reps of 30 seconds each if one minute is too difficult.

Minute 5 – cardio

Run stairs or do jumping jacks at a high intensity to get your heart rate up!

Minute 6 & 7 – lower body & core

Split squat – place one foot on a chair or other surface & stand in split position, hands on hips; bend knees and squat until front thigh is parallel with floor; hold 2 counts & rise.  Repeat on

Minute 8 – upper body

Push up – on hands and knees or hands and toes, begin with straight arms and bend elbows to lower yourself until upper arms are parallel with floor; hold briefly & push up.

Minute 9 – core

Pike crunch – lay on back with legs and arms extended straight up in air; curl shoulders off floor and reach fingertops toward toes; hold briefly, lower & repeat.

Minute 10 – cardio

Run stairs or do jumping jacks at a high intensity to rev your heart rate one last time!

Got 20 minutes?  Do the work out twice for an even bigger strength and cardio challenge!  This short work out is also fantastic to tack onto the beginning or end of your usual power walk, jog or bike ride and can be done anywhere – gym, home, cottage, local park.  You may do this work out 5 days per week or do it twice (either twice through in 20 minutes or twice daily in two 10-minute segments) every other day.  Keep up your other activity – walk with baby, play soccer with the kids, take your yoga class – it all adds up.

Of course, every body is different and there are some cases where exercise should be monitored by a physician or where an exercise might aggravate a certain pre-existing condition.  If you have any questions, click on the “Live Chat” button at www.fitfamily.ca or email dara@fitfamily.ca. Knowledge is power.  And knowledge has never caused a sore knee or twisted ankle.  Better safe than sorry.