Try my QUICK workout tips!  

Q U I C K = Quick, Utilize, Interval, Creative & Kick-butt!

Are you a busy mom with little time for a workout?  Are you a working woman with no room in your schedule for long hours in the gym?  Too tired from walking around in heels all day only to come home to a messy house and kids needing help with their homework?  Or perhaps even no gym to go to? 

Give my 20 minute interval workout a try.  This works great at home or even at the playground. 

Quick

You don’t need 30 minutes or even an hour.  This will only take twenty minutes of your time and your kids can do this with you.   If you don’t have a timer, pull out a boom box and pick four to five songs that get you motivated and ready to jump around.  I like to include a little Van Halen (“Jump!”) into my routine. 

Utilize

Use what you have.  Don’t have weights?  Use cans of soup, vegetables, etc.  Don’t have a box to step onto?  Use a park bench at the playground or a chair.  Don’t have a gym?  Use your dining room or again, the playground… Keep reading, I’ll show you how it’s done. 

Interval

This is an anaerobic workout.  That means we’re using intervals so that you’re maximizing your workout and recovery time to build muscle and burn fat.  Try my Creative ideas below for 3 minutes maximum at a time (or until your favorite song runs out).  Then walk around for 2-3 minutes in between sets. 

Get Creative!

Pick from my list below of Creative Ideas.  Many of these you can do outdoors as well, or even at a playground.  I love to walk to the park and use the bench for step-ups or try pull-ups on the monkey bars.  Try these with your kids! 

Jump Rope.  Jump up and down you with your hands above your head (no dropping your hands!).  Jumping Jacks.  Crazy Jacks (feet moving forward and backwards).  Side-to-Side Jacks (feet together moving side to side).   Have your kids help you set up an obstacle course.  Jump with both feet together front and back and side to side over pillows.  Need a harder challenge?  At the end of your obstacle course, drop down and do a pushup.  Need a further challenge?  Jump back up and punch or kick either the air or a cushioned surface. 

Have your kids get a whistle ready.  Then, as you run in place with your knees high up, have them randomly yell out, “Jump” or “Down.”  If they say, “jump,” then jump as high as you can and return to running in place.  If they say, “down,” then drop down and do a pushup and then return to running in place.  Have them watch your form and tell you when you’re knees aren’t high enough… or even better to get them tired out too; have them do this with you.

More ideas:  Jump squats (Jump down like a frog and then leap up into the air like a jumping jack).  Leap frog over your kids.  Jump splits (Jump up and try to do the splits).   Run up and down the stairs, or up and down a park bench or chair.  Or, jump up with both feet together onto a box and jump back down and don’t stop.  This is great at a playground too. Kid tested and my favorite:  Have a Hula Hoop contest with your kids.  If you can do this, then try to drop your hips down every few seconds and pull the hoop back up with your abs.
 

Kick-Butt!

See, you don’t have to join an aerobic class to get your bum moving into high gear.  Just be creative and resourceful—Use what you have and hop to it!