Everyone, including myself, always seems to be running out of time. We only have 24 hours in a day and we are always trying to cram as much as possible into those precious minutes. For women, this often means taking care of ourselves falls by the wayside.
We, being the caring and nurturing individuals we are, always seem to put the needs of others first. The problem with that is when we don’t take care of ourselves we get worn out and run down. Our energy is depleted, our health suffers and pretty soon we have very little to give to those who matter most in our lives.
To help avoid this we have to make time to invest in ourselves by eating right and exercising. Since time is such a premium for many women, I have an express workout that you can do at home with minimal equipment and can fit in when you have a few minutes.
All you need is a jump rope and a sturdy step or bench.
First warm up by walking or lightly jogging in place or do some light calisthenics for 5 minutes. Then I want you to perform each of these exercises listed one after the other, with minimal rest in between. Do 10-15 repetitions of each exercise.
- Plie squat: This is like a standard squat, but your toes should be pointed out at about a 45 degree angle with your feet a little wider than shoulder width apart. Lower your body like you are sitting in a chair behind you, keeping your chest up. Rise up and repeat.
- Push up: If you can’t do a full pushup that’s okay, you can use your knees. Just try to lower down to where your face is about 4-5 inches away from the floor and keep your body straight.
- Step up: This is where the bench or step comes in. The exercise is just like it sounds. Stand in front of the bench/step and step up with the right leg, letting it do all the work. Bring the left leg up, tap your toe on top of the bench/step before bringing it back down. Then step down with your right leg. Repeat all reps on the right side before performing them on your left side.
- Dip: You’ll need your bench/step again. Sit on top of the bench or step with your hands holding on to it on each side, with your legs straight out in front of you. Slower lower you body down with your arms until they are at about a 90 degree angle. Rise up and repeat.
- Walking Lunge: You will need a little space for this. You will be lunging and walking across your room or whatever space you are working in. Don’t let your knee pass over your toe and let your back leg go down about 2 inches above the ground. Keep moving one leg in front of the other, lunging with each step.
- Plank: Balance yourself on your forearms and toes, body in a straight line. Hold for as long as you can, gradually working up to 30-60 seconds.
- Jump rope: Skip or jump rope for 2-5 minutes, depending on your fitness level.
As outlined here the workout should only take about 15 minutes, including warm up and cool down. If you only have 15 minutes, do it once because something is always better than nothing. If you have longer, simply repeat the list of exercises based on the amount of time you have. Or you can do once in the morning, once after lunch and once after dinner if that works best for you and your schedule.
Don’t let time be an excuse for not investing in your health. 30 minutes invested in yourself will reap hours of dividends in extra energy to devote to the ones you love.
