By Dana Yarn, RDLD
I have to admit I used to see those infomercials about getting abs with only 10 minutes a day and I would roll my eyes and flip the channel. I grew up an endurance athlete, swimming, running, and doing triathlon which translated to at least 1-2 hours of physical exercise a day. After having my first 2 babies (one more on the way) I needed to change my mindset into a time efficient routine that would still yield results. I knew there was something to time efficient workouts, simply examine the Cross Fit craze, WOD (workout of the day) some of those workouts are only 10 minutes and a true cross fitter who also sticks to a healthy nutrition plan looks like they may workout for hours a day, lean muscle and very low body fat percentage.
I present the 10 minute at a time workout… aim to work out for 3-5 hours a week but break it up if you need to. Most of these workouts can be done with your kids on your lunch hour or at home. I’m not for staying out of the gym completely but saving drive time, can really be beneficial to those who are trying to squeeze a workout in. The holiday season is already putting a whooping on my schedule, my daughter has pre-school parties, family is coming into town, and menu planning, and shopping, etc. can really be a time vampire. Try these workouts and enjoy the extra time you will have to get things done this holiday season and in everyday life for that matter.
The “I cannot break a sweat options” –
- The 10 minute walk
- 10 minutes of yoga/foam rolling
Cardio Options-
- Run a mile- get outside and run around your child’s practice field
- Ladder Drills- buy an agility ladder and do some drills in your garage, basement or driveway. My 3 year old love to copy all of the drills.
- Stairs- hit the stadium or even the stairs off your deck or in your house. Skip a step, jump up both feet, run them, etc.
Strength Training Options-
- Push up, chin up, sit up, squat challenge. See how many of each you can do for a minute with 15 seconds between, and stop at 10 minutes. Record your numbers and try to beat them each week.
- Kettle Bell metabolic meltdown, this is a series of kettlebell exercises that are done for 30-60 seconds and get the heart rate up high and muscles burning quick!(Before touching a kettlebell speak with a fitness professional who is specifically trained to teach kettlebells. The injury rate for this workout piece is high, but if you learn how to do the exercises correctly the results are like no other!)