15-Minute Home Workout For Busy Parents

As much as you may love (or hate) to exercise, it is often difficult getting to the gym when you have children. Between school, ball games, meals, work and housecleaning, you may not have the extra 30-60 minutes to do a usual cardio and strength exercise routine. So here are a few exercises you can do at home with no equipment and only 10-20 minutes of time.

1. Push-ups. This is a great one to start with, as it pumps up your heart rate! Repeat until fatigue. This is also ideal between leg strengthening exercises.

photo: gethealthywithheather.wordpress.com

2. Triceps Presses. The further you straighten your legs, the more challenging! Extend your elbows to lift your body weight, then lower back down to position shown in picture. Repeat until fatigue.

photo: self.com

3. Jumping Jacks. This is also a good warm-up or can be done between strength exercises. Perform for 1-2 minutes.

photo: sixpackfactory.com

4. Plank Jumping Jacks. Be sure to keep your back straight and your arms/shoulders stable. Hands can be on the floor, as in the starting push-up position. Repeat quickly until fatigue (30-60 seconds at a time).

photo: italktofood.com

5. Plank Mountain Climbers. Alternate legs quickly, while maintaining a strong plank position, for 30-60 seconds at a time.

photo: amy-allender.blogspot.com

6. Forward Kicks with Alternate Forward Punches. Do you remember Tae Bo? This is a classic kickboxing exercise that incorporates arm and leg strengthening. Repeat 10-15 reps with right leg/left arm. Then do the same with left leg/right arm.

photo: exercise.about.com

photo: shape.com

     


7. Calf Raises (on one leg) with Lateral Leg Raises (other leg). Do the two at the same time. You may need arm support for balance. Repeat 10-20 reps, then do the same on the other sides.

photo: drwannabe.tumblr.com

photo: iposture.com

     

Strength Training: Free Weights Vs. Machine Weights

Benefits of Free Weights:

1. Free weights work multiple muscle groups together. This maximizes your workout time and may provide time for additional strengthening, cardio, plyometrics or flexibility exercise.

2. Free weights include weightbearing exercise, which strengthens the bones. They use your own body weight as additional resistance (for example: squats or calf raises).

3. Free weight exercises are more functional, so they carry over to real-life activities and sports.

4. Free weights can be done at home and with less equipment. This may be most cost-effective and convenient!

Benefits of Machine Weights:

1. Machine weights are easy to learn with minimal training.

2. Machine weights produce less risk for injury than free weights. However, there still is risk, especially if you are not cautious and/or do not know how to set up a specific machine.

3. Machine weights do not require a spotter.

4. Machine weights enable you to strengthen individual muscle groups (such as the quads: leg extension machine).

5. Machine weights take less time for setup and cleanup.

6. There are a variety of machines to strengthen each muscle (for example, seated hamstring curl if you are unable to lie face-down). 

Technique Pointers For Strength Training:

1. Perform both the lift and lowering part of the exercise at a moderate pace. The release back to starting point is just as important for building strength as the initial push/pull or contraction. For non-athletes, do not perform your exercise too fast. Athletes typically weight train specifically for their sport and often vary their speeds with a purpose.

2. Try to work through your full available range of motion, which strengthens the entire muscle group more effectively than partial-range movements.

3. For machine weights, be sure to adjust the angles and positions specific to your body size. Be sure the joint performing the movement is lined up where the machine's axis rotates.

4. Choose the type of strength training that you enjoy more, which will keep you motivated!

5. Be sure to do cardio training if you are trying to increase your aerobic endurance, such as for a 10K or 1/2 marathon. An additional sport-specific strengthening program may be a good form of cross-training for you.

Source: Baechle TR, Earle RW, editors. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 2nd ed. 2000: Human Kinetics. Pages 42-45.

Combine Upper/Lower Body Strength For Weight Loss

Photo: Fitness Magazine

1. Squats with biceps curls. Select a challenging weight for the bicep curls. Perform 3 sets of 10, 2 sets of 15 or 3 sets of 15. Do not let your knees pass your toes.

Photo: ACE Fitness

2. Lunges with military press. If you have the space, walk the length of the room via alternating leg lunges. If in a smaller space, lunge in place with alternating legs. Choose a challenging medicine ball or free weights for the military press. Perform 3 sets of 10-15.

Photo: WebMD

3. Wall slides (wall sits) with arm raises. As you slide down the wall to the sitting position, raise your arms from your sides up to chest level, with the elbows staying straight. Lower the arms as you slide back up the wall. Keep the thumbs pointed up throughout the arm raises and only lift arms to 90 degrees. Repeat 2-3 sets of 8-15. Do not let your knees pass your toes.

Photo: About.com

4. Ab crunches with leg bicycling. Perform straight crunches or oblique crunches (as shown) as you move your legs in a bicycling motion. Repeat 3-5 sets of 20.

5. Intervals of push-ups and sit-ups. Perform push-ups until fatigue. Then flip onto your back and perform full sit-ups until fatigue. Repeat 3-5 sets of each. If you cannot perform sit-ups, perform with abdominal crunches.

Why Combine Upper/Lower Body Strength Training?

These exercises are effective for weight loss because they increase your heart rate (cardio), incorporate multiple muscle groups, and increase muscle tone. The greater you do these 3 things in your workouts, the faster your weight loss will be! You will quickly boost your metabolism so that you burn more calories throughout the day! If you are going to exercise for 30 minutes, work as many muscle groups as possible during that time. Why spend 15 minutes of gym time strengthening 5 muscles when you can work 10 or more muscles at the same time?!!

Gym Workouts For Beginners

I highly recommend joining a gym, if you can somehow add it to your budget. It is actually not that expensive, compared to other areas of spending, such as cell phone bills and eating out. You should be able to get a membership for $20-$25 per month, which is very reasonable, considering it is an investment in your body. If you are a newcomer to the gym world, it can be very intimidating because you may not know what to do or how to do it. So here are some basics that can help you.

1. Start with CARDIO. All cardio equipment is easy to start. Find the big green button that says Start or QuickStart, and you will start to move. Some cardio machines require that you start moving or pedaling before you press start. The easiest setting is MANUAL, which allows you to increase and decrease your resistance level throughout your workout. It saves you from having to select workout specifics or input your height and weight. Slowly increase to >30 minutes of cardio at a moderate-high intensity (you may need to start at 10-15 minutes at low intensity and progress over several weeks-months). Try to do some cardio every time you are at the gym, even on your strength training days.

2. Don't be afraid of the MACHINE WEIGHTS. They may look complicated, but most of them are very simple to operate. There are instructions written on each machine that explain your seat and angle adjustments. Then you select your weight/resistance. Try different weights until you choose the appropriate amount (moderately challenging; you should be fatigued by the last few repetitions of each set). Then perform 2-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions. For example, start with 2 sets of 10. Progress to 3 sets of  10 in a few visits. Then increase to 3 sets of 15. Once you can do 30-40 repetitions at one weight, you can progress to the next level. Do not be afraid to ask the staff to show you how to use a piece of equipment. I'm not sure why, but there are usually at least 5 staff members at the front desk of my gym.

3. Choose a WORKOUT SCHEDULE. This will help to guide your daily exercise and strengthen all your muscle groups. If you are using the machine weights, each one states which muscles you are working. Do not strengthen the same muscle group on two consecutive days. It may help to divide the strength training into groups, such as arms, shoulders, chest, upper back, lower back, abdominals, legs. Then choose which days of the week you will exercise each muscle group. Try to strength train each body part at least 1-2x/week.

4. Try out some of the GROUP EXERCISE CLASSES. These are ideal for those of you who need extra instruction or are new to the gym. If the class does not make you sweat, it is likely too easy for you.

5. Lastly, borrow exercises from other people. You can get some great ideas from the exercises trainers give their clients. Or find the ab corner of the gym; you will see people doing much more than just crunches and sit-ups.

10 Most Effective Strategies To Boost Your Workouts!

Do you do the same exercise routine every week? Do you go to the same machines every gym session? If so, this may be why you are not seeing the dramatic results you want from your weight loss program. So here are some suggestions to increase the intensity of your next workout! Not only will these boost your metabolism but they will make your gym time much more interesting and fun.

10 Most Effective Strategies to Boost Your Workouts:

1. Increase your speed. What is your present exercise pace? If you are not sweating profusely 5-10 minutes into your workout, then you may simply be exercising too slowly. Know your body and your fitness level before you turn up the speed too high (which could risk injury). If you have never increased your pace before, simply increase it in small increments. For example, if you walk at 3 miles per hour, try 3.5 miles per hour next time. Of if you jog at 6 miles per hour, try to increase to 7 mph in the next 2 weeks. Another example is the stair climber (one of my favorites). Try to increase your steps per minute so that you are not at the same pace for more than 1-2 weeks. You may start at 60 or 70, but work up to 100 or more in the next 1-2 months. If you cannot tolerate a faster pace for the entire workout, then do some faster intervals between bouts of your normal pace.

2. Increase your intensity level. A good example is riding the stationary bike. I commonly see fellow gym-goers pedaling slowly at level 1. And after 30 minutes, they have not even broken a sweat. If you are 80 years old, and both your knees have been replaced, then you have my blessing to stay at level 1. For everyone else, steadily increase your intensity by one level at a time. You likely can tolerate a higher level than you think. When was the last time you increased your weight amount for biceps curls or overhead press? Do you always do 3 sets of 8 on your leg weights? Each of these needs to increase periodically for maximum results.

3. Add a new form of cardio. Cross training helps to strengthen various muscle groups, provides rest for stressed tissues and boosts your overall fitness. So even if you are training to run a race, you should not run every day. Do another form of exercise that builds your endurance but that has less strain on your knees or feet. Or if you usually do the elliptical machine, try the stationary bike or stair climber next time. Do not do the same form of cardio every day unless you have no other options. For example, if you do not belong to a gym but walk in the neighborhood every morning, then continue to do so as you have been. To spice up a walking program, add more hills, a faster pace or walk-jog intervals.

4. Add strength training. I hate to say it, but there are some stairmaster hogs at our gym. There are only 3 stair machines, and they are almost always full. And I often see the same people on the same machines for a full hour. If you normally do cardio for an hour and then go home, then add strength training to your workouts. Here are some options. Do your normal cardio, then do 20 minutes of strengthening. Decrease your cardio to 45 minutes, then do 15 minutes of strengthening. Do 10 minute cardio intervals with 10 minute strength intervals (alternate back and forth). Do 30-40 minutes of cardio and 30-40 minutes of strengthening. Do all strengthening with high intensity cardio intervals (1 minute fast cardio for every 5 minutes of strengthening). If you belong to a gym and don't know what strengthening to do, try the machine weights or a strength class (such as body pump). A personal trainer can really help in this area (if you can afford it). Otherwise, do your own research to find websites, books or resources to give you new and various strength exercises. Building muscle tone increases your metabolism because muscles burn calories even when you are not exercising.

5. Work toward a goal. The type of goal depends on your reason for exercising. If you joined the gym in order to lose weight, then you should have some short-term and long-term weight goals. If you exercise for the cardiovascular benefits, then your goal may be to decrease your blood pressure or cholesterol levels. If your exercise is training for a race, then set a completion time goal. Without a goal, you can easily get into a workout rut. Any goal is appropriate as long as it challenges you to get the most out of every workout minute!

6. Find a challenging exercise partner. Do you find yourself clueless as to how to exercise? You don't know which machines to use or even how to use them. The easiest person to help you is a family member or friend that exercises regularly at a location close to you. The next option is asking someone at the gym to guide you.  Most gym members are happy to help a newcomer. Of course a personal trainer is the ideal person to give you 1 on 1 attention and to really challenge you to reach and exceed your goals.

7. Join a new exercise class. If you only do Zumba or step aerobics, then try a new class sometime. You may love it even more than your present workout. Spinning class is likely one of the most challenging gym classes available. If you usually do a water aerobics class and do not have any injury, then you should progress to out-of-water classes to steadily improve your fitness level. This is especially true for young or middle-aged individuals. Join a class where the other students look fit and thin; there is likely something about their workouts that is effective! I also highly recommend body pump/body bar classes, which incorporate both cardio and strength training together.

8. Check your 1 rep max. This takes me back to high school weightlifting class with Coach Mac (Go Capitals)! To determine how much weight to lift on each strength exercise, first find out your 1 rep max. How much weight can you lift only once? If you can do it more than once, keep increasing until you know your maximum. For muscle bulking, you will do 70-80% of your 1 rep max and perform 3 sets of 10. For muscle toning, do 50-70% of your 1 rep max and perform 3-4 sets of 12-15.

9. Increase your gym time per session. If you normally exercise for 30 minutes, then increase it by 5-10 minutes or more! 30 minutes is the minimum recommended amount, but doing the minimum will likely produce less results. To achieve greater weight loss, increase your workout time! I recommend 60 minutes, 5-7x/week. Just be sure to increase it slowly. If you have not exercised in 10 years, start with 10-20 minutes. Then slowly work up to 30, then 45, then 60 minutes.

10. Increase your weekly gym sessions. Exercising 1-2x/week will not produce the benefits you seek, so increase your frequency! Depending on your schedule, see which day(s) you can add a workout. It is important to exercise daily if possible. Build it into your weekly routine so that you will not neglect it. Otherwise, it will easily fall off your to-do list. If you cannot exercise 5-6x/week, then do 4-5x/week. Every time you do, you are investing in your own body, which is the only one you have. So make it a priority because no one else can do it for you.

Exercising Safely For Your Fitness Level

Beginner Fitness Level: You do little to no exercise. Your strenuous exercise endurance is a few minutes. For your workout safety, you should begin with short bouts of light-moderate exercise (such as 10 minutes, 2x/day). Good options are water aerobics, walking, stationary bike, any light cardio, light strength training. Seek guidance from a personal trainer, exercise website, exercise video, group class, book, etc. Your goal should be to work up to 30 minutes per day, 3-4x/week.

Intermediate Fitness Level: You do occasional exercise at a moderate intensity. For your safety, be careful not to injure yourself with a new or overly strenuous workout. Try to exercise consistenly 3-5x/week in order to stay in shape. Try to challenge yourself progressively with higher intensity of exercise. 30 minutes should be your minimum workout time, and try to work up to 45 minutes. Appropriate workouts are light jogging, elliptical, swimming, Zumba, aerobics class, and strength training.

Advanced Fitness Level: You exercise vigorously at least 3-4x/week. You have good muscle strength and cardiopulmonary endurance. You usually work out for at least 1 hour at a time, and you could easily do more. For injury-free workouts, know your pain-tendency areas and be sure to strengthen and stretch them appropriately. Do not forget to take rest days. Be sure to vary your workouts with cross-training, intervals and plyometrics (pending sports activities). Drink sufficient water during your workouts. Do not push through an injury during training, sports or races. Train properly for all your athletics and races in order to avoid stress or overuse injuries. Otherwise, keep up the good work! If you are in this fitness group but need to lose more weight, you must increase exercise levels. This means increasing from 60 minutes/day to 90 minutes/day, modifying your workouts to boost your metabolism (such as weight training or intervals), or increasing your resistance levels.

Guru Fitness Level: You design your own workouts, and you are able to teach others. For your safety, remember that you are not exempt from workout injuries. Be sure to maintain balance between the muscle groups on the front and back of the body. Do not forget the importance of upper body, lower body and core strength. Use your knowledge to educate those around you with less exercise experience. Good goals for you are marathons, triathlons, fitness instructor certifications and/or exercise/sports competitions.

Willpower, Exercise Priority and Why Dieting Does Not Work

Willpower
When you are trying to lose weight, it will be impossible unless you learn to demonstrate willpower in regards to food. You can make it easier on yourself by not having your favorite snack foods in the house, but at some point the food will stand before you, and you will have a choice. Indulge or have the willpower to say no? Think about what you do on January 2 when you see a plate of brownies in the break room. "No, thanks--my New Year's resolution is to lose 10 pounds." It is easy in January because you are motivated, you just set a goal, and everyone is doing it. But what about the rest of the year, long after your co-workers have given up? Saying no to food means that you have control over your mind and body. You can choose to say no, even though you may have never done so before. And depending on your weight loss goals and eating habits, you may need to say no forever! Having the willpower to avoid overeating will become a habit if you do it consistently, so try it daily for 30 days.

Making Exercise a Priority
If you have tried multiple diets over the years but never keep the weight off, you may simply need to stick to one program long-term and add in more EXERCISE! Exercise must become a top priority on your daily to-do list. If not, it will easily get pushed aside, and you will not do it enough to help achieve and maintain your weight loss. So how do you make exercising a priority consistently? Build it into your daily routine; do it at the same time every day. Don't give yourself the option of skipping. What are the activities that you do every day? How can you modify your busy life in order to add something for your own health? Try adding exercise to one of your other usual activities, such as watching TV (on the treadmill) or playing with your kids (taking them for a walk).

Exercise Specifics
Exercise long enough (>30-40 minutes) and hard enough (you should be sweating and breathing moderately hard)! Challenge yourself by increasing your speed and intensity of cardio. Progressively increase your repetitions and/or weights for your strength training. If you are new to exercising, start at 15-20 minutes of mild-moderate exercise, then increase in 5-minute increments. As your body adjusts, you will be able to work out for longer and at a faster pace. If you have the time, ideally try to increase your exercise to one hour per day, 6x/week. This should include both cardio and strength training. This is especially important for weight loss because it helps to burn calories, build muscle tone, and boost your metabolism!

Eating thin!
Lastly, think about the thin people you know. What are their eating and exercising habits? Many thin people may have genetically high metabolisms, but many also work at it! And in general, it is safe to say that they eat in moderate amounts and are likely pretty active individuals.

Getting Out Of Your Workout Rut

Whenever you exercise, do you always do the same thing(s)? Treadmill, Zumba, Free weights? Whatever your typical workout routine, it is important to find ways to spice up your exercise so as to really challenge your body and get the most benefit. Here are some easy things you can add or modify.

1. INTERVALS. Instead of jogging on the treadmill at 6.5 miles per hour for 30 minutes, add short amounts of fast running and then resume your jogging pace. Or instead of walking at a moderate pace for 45 minutes, walk for 5 minutes, then jog for a few minutes, then walk again. Or instead of doing free weights for your entire workout, do 5 minutes of cardio, then 5-10 minutes of weights and continue alternating. Just be sure to warm up well before you do any fast/difficult intervals.

2. VARIETY. Do you always use the same machines at the gym? In the cardio part of your gym, there are 7 types of cardio equipment: treadmill, elliptical, stair climber, upright bike, recumbent bike, arm bike, and rowing machine. Of course, there are various cardio classes and sports activities as well. If you exercise from home, do you always walk the same route or do the same exercise DVD? Instead, do exercise that will strengthen ALL your muscle groups. Don't be afraid to try something new.

3. STRENGTH TRAINING. This can include free weights, machine weights, body weight, small dumbbells, exercise bands, kettle bells, medicine balls, etc. Strength training is just as important as cardio exercise if you are trying to lose weight. And these exercises can also get your heart pumping, which means you are still getting cardio! If you have never done this before, try a body bar/body pump class or a strength training DVD. Of course, from home you can always do things like push-ups, crunches, biceps curls, squats, etc.

4. INCREASING INTENSITY. Do not stay at the same pace for weeks-months at a time. If you presently walk at 3.0 miles per hour, you should soon be able to walk 3.5 mph. Guys who like free weights have this one down because they like to brag about how much they can bench press. If you have been in the same exercise class for the past year, you should be ready for something more challenging. Your body will plateau with the same workouts, so it needs to be challenged to further increase your strength, power, and endurance.

How To Strengthen Opposite Muscle Groups

Let's begin with an easy example: biceps vs triceps. When you strengthen the biceps, you are stretching the triceps. These two muscle groups work together but in opposite directions. A biceps curl puts the biceps in a shortened position while the triceps muscle is lengthened. For maximum strength, mechanics and balance, both muscle groups need to be strengthened equally. This is especially important for male weightlifters because you may prefer to strengthen the front of your body (biceps, chest, abs, etc).

Here are a few more examples of opposite muscle groups: abs vs. back extensors, quads vs hamstrings, hip abductors vs hip adductors, hip flexors vs hip extensors, pecs vs upper back. No matter what muscle group you are working on, there is an opposite group that needs equal attention. The easiest way to do so is to do the same number of exercises for the opposing groups. If you are doing 3 sets of 10 biceps curls, you also should do 3 sets of 10 triceps extensions.

The opposite muscle groups do not have to be strengthened on the same day, but I would recommend it for simplicity or if you have trouble remembering which muscles you worked each day. Typically, you will divide up your weight training into body parts for a weekly schedule, so here is an example of how to train opposite muscle groups on the same days.

Monday: chest and upper back
Tuesday: legs (all groups)
Wednesday: shoulders and arms (front and back)
Thursday: abs and low back

If you have more time per session and want to work each muscle group several times/week, try this:

Monday: chest, upper back, shoulders, arms
Tuesday: legs, abs, low back
Wednesday: chest, upper back, shoulders, arms
Thursday: legs, abs, low back

Cardio EXERCISE and WEIGHT LOSS

I highly recommend cardio exercise as one piece of a weight management program. Here are some tips:

Be sure your cardio workouts are challenging! You should be sweating and breathing moderately hard throughout (unless you have medical conditions--please consult your physician). Your heart rate should be 50-70% of your maximum heart rate (220 minus your age).

Try alternating cardio with strengthening. Maybe do a total of 30 minutes of cardio and 15-20 minutes of weight training, which will boost your metabolism. You can even do cardio intervals of 5-10 minutes with weight intervals for 5-10 minutes. Good, challenging weight training will increase your muscle mass and therefore you will burn more calories throughout the day (not just when exercising).

If you really prefer cardio and not weights, then try changing around the type of cardio you do (spinning, walking, running, aerobics, swimming, hiking, sports, etc). And be sure to increase the intensity or resistance of the cardio as you progress. If it feels too hard, then bump it up and down to your tolerance.