It’s not always easy for parents with small children to come to Habitat for Health and Fitness in Lakeland, Florida, every day or other day. That’s when home workouts, especially those short enough to be done during nap time, can be a huge benefit to fill in the gaps. Some workouts are only a few minutes of intense exercise and others last longer. Depending on how long nap time lasts, choose one that fits in your schedule. You’ll feel revitalized and ready to go when you get your workout in for the day.
Get your heart pumping with some exercises you can combine into circuit training.
If you want a short workout that will burn off stress, get your heart pumping and provide those feel good hormones, try some cardio and make it into circuit training for maximum benefit. Do several exercises in a row as one circuit, one right after another. Try one minute of butt kicks, one minute of jump rope, a minute of mountain climbers, a minute of burpees and then rest for a minute. Do it four times for a great twenty minute workout that will make you sweat and help weight loss.
If you want a complete workout, get weights or resistance bands for your workout.
If you don’t have weights, you can use large soup cans or bottles filled with sand or water. Weight training not only burns calories, it builds muscle tissue. Muscle tissue requires more calories than fat tissue does for maintenance, so the more you have, the higher your metabolism. Start by warming up with a minute of jump rope. Do ten to twelve of each, bicep curls, pushups, tricep kickbacks, squats, dumbbell rows, lunges and end it with a minute plank. Repeat a second or third time.
Get your work done while you’re working out.
Do you need to multitask to get everything done? Try making clean-up a workout. Do squats while picking up toys and vacuum with vigor doing lunges along the way. There are always sticky finger prints on the windows or smears from kids and pets pressing their faces against the pane. Turn sideways and wash that window with the arm furthest away. Do it with vigor. Standing at the sin can be exercise when you combine it with calf raises. Do squats when folding laundry. There are all sorts of ways to make cleaning a vigorous workout.
- Make your stairs a substitute for a stepmaster. Run up that flight of stairs to check on the kids or take smaller laundry loads up to get in more stair time. If you need more exercise, just run up and down until you’re winded.
- Get out your earbuds and play some music and dance like there’s no tomorrow. Worried about not hearing noise from the kids? Turn the volume on low or check on the kids after each song.
- Why wait? Workout with the kids. Lifting the baby builds your endurance naturally as the baby gains weight. Rock them while you’re doing squats. Toddlers love to join in the fun, so get them involved.
- If you want to supplement your gym time, talk to your trainer at Habitat for Health and Fitness to get a personalized workout you can do at home that’s short and meets your goals.
For more information, contact us today at Habitat Health and Fitness