Take It Outside the Gym
Who says you need to have a gym membership to be in shape...NOT ME! There are so many great things you can do at home or outside that require very minimal cost or equipment. Many of them would be fun with your family as well!!
Cardiovascular activities, such as, biking, jogging, soccer, roller blading, basket ball, football and ultimate frisbee are great for burning calories and improving cardiovascular endurance. The key things to remember though are 1) you must get and keep your heart rate elevated for a 20 min+ period of time to see improvements in endurance and 2) you must do these types of activities 3-4x per week. If you follow those 2 guidelines you will see improvements in your endurance, increased energy levels, a more positive frame of mind and usually weight loss!
To gain more strength and tone there are also many options that you can do outside or in your home. In my opinion, the best and most cost effective pieces of equipment you should invest in are a stability ball (approx $25) and tubing (approx $15). With these 2 pieces of equipment you WILL gain strength, tone, and lose inches. With the tubing you can wrap it around a stair banister or support post at home and outside you can use a tree, fence or park bench as your anchor. The stability ball I would use in the house or possibly deck but not on grass in case something sharp pokes a hole in it. It is a great tool for core and legs though.
Here is a sample workout that can be done at home or outside...or ANYWHERE!
Equipment: Medium Tension Tube, yoga mat (optional) & YOU
Warm-up: do each of the following for 45-60sec
*stationary squats (not too deep, keep your weight in your heels), toe touches (opposite hand touches opposite toe then switch back and forth), arm circle (in both directions), plank (shoulders relaxed & pelvic tilt!)
Workout: perform each of these exercises for 60 secs; do as many as you can with proper form in the 60 secs
1) Chest press (with tubing anchored behind you)
2) Row (with tubing anchored in front of you)
3) Mountain Climbers (on hands and toes, body flat, Pull 1 knee into your tummy then switch)
4) Walking lunges (when stepping keep front knee over ankle when you drop down into lunge, both knees should bend to 90 degree. If you experience any knee pain don't go as low, modify to what suits your body)
5) Planks (on forearms and toes)
6) Bicep Curl (standing on centre of tubing)
7) Tricep kickbacks (tubing anchored in front of you, tip forward from the hip so your back is almost parallel to ground and keep elbows at your sides. Push hands back till arms straight then bend elbow to 90 degrees and repeat)
It is up to you whether you have enough time or strength to complete this circuit twice or more. If you are a beginner to exercise or haven't done much in a while start with one time through and see how you feel. This circuit should take you about 15-20 minutes total so ideally doing 2x through is still very manageable for a busy mom or dad. This type of workout should be done 2-3x per week in order to see the results quickly. There are MANY different options that can be given besides this workout so feel free to contact me if you need some modifications or variety.
I must say this as well though, no matter how hard you workout, if your diet is filled with processed carbs and sugars you are sabotaging your results. The eating plan should always go along with the exercise plan. When you put the two into action together you will be floored by how fast you will feel better and see physical changes. Healthy eating and getting active is the key.
So there is absolutely NO REASON why we all can't get active, get outside with our families and see that results we've been looking for. No gym membership needed! Recruit some friends to join you and the accountability is awesome! I have grown from 3hrs/wk of small group training to over 10hrs/wk just because of some pretty amazing results but even more so, the social aspect and accountability that the participants get.
If you have any questions about this article or Performance Fitness and the programs we offer, please contact me at paula.performancefitness@gmail.com.
Get outside and get in shape! Have a great day!
Paula Man
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