Written with love, by Nikki Lian
An important event is coming up—a vacation, a party, your wedding…and between balancing work and your family and making plans you just haven’t had time to get to the gym. Sleep is scarce because your life doesn’t stop just because a life-changing event is about to happen.
Don’t put your body on the back burner!
If you’re used to getting to the gym 5 times a week and working each body part for an hour, then you already know it can be time consuming. So here are some equipment-free, body-weight exercises you can mix up into a workout that will take you only 20-30 minutes of your time that can be done pretty much anywhere. And you don’t have to drive to the gym!
Lunges
Take a big step forward, landing your front foot flat and then bend both knees. Your back heel will come off the floor. In a basic lunge, try not to let your front knee pass your front toe. Then, push off the front foot back into standing position. You can do these in place, or you can do walking lunges where you keep moving forward alternating legs. Lunges are great for your quadriceps and your glutes.
Walkouts
Start with your feet shoulder-width apart. Squat down and walk out forward into a plank using your hands. You should end up in a straight-armed plank position (or push-up position) with your hands underneath your shoulders. Hold for 10 seconds, and then walk your hands back up toward your feet. Stand all the way up to where you’re standing up straight. Repeat five times.
This will work your arms, hamstrings, shoulders and your core (abdominals and lower back). You can also add a pushup to each walkout to work your triceps or chest as well.
Plié Squats
Widen your stance and turn your feet out. Keeping your back straight, squat until you feel a stretch in your inner thighs, and then come back up, straightening your legs. It’s really important to keep your back straight on this one. I always tell my clients to pop their chest out to help them remember. If you’d like to add calves to this inner-thigh exercise, once you’re legs are straightened go up on your toes. This takes balance so you may have to adjust your stance a bit.
Alphabets
Lie on the floor with your back flat, legs out straight, and hands under your lower back for support. Without touching the floor, “write” the alphabet with your legs keeping your feet together. Try not bend your knees. This is a great exercise for your lower abdominals.
Try to do three sets of 15 repetitions of each exercise when you can’t get in your regular workout. You can also incorporate a few of these exercises into your own workout routine for some extra toning. Again, things can get hectic but make exercise a priority and don’t stop moving!
