Have you ever had one of those days when you come home from work and you just say, forget it, I don’t have enough energy to workout. You think to yourself how am I going to physically lace up my shoes, change my clothes, and drive yet again through more traffic to go to the gym? Well, I’m here to tell you that you don’t. However, don’t think I’m giving you permission today to miss your workout. If you have room in your backyard or even if there is a park nearby this is what you’re going to do for the next 40 minutes or less. I guarantee you will thank me (don’t thank me until after the workout) for getting in this high intensity, high calorie burning, simple workout.
Most of my workouts are very simple as I don’t like to incorporate a lot of complicated exercises into my daily workouts. ‘Keep it simple’ is the theme for my fitness, eating habits, and daily life.
First of all, this is what you will need to continue:
- Running shoes/x-trainers
- Workout clothes
- Water bottle
- Music (pick your favourite playlist) & turn it up loud!
- A great attitude
- A watch or use your phone to keep track of the time
NO EQUIPMENT REQUIRED! I’m making this workout as simple as possible so you can remember everything. Don’t feel you have to do the exercises in the order that I have them here. If you skip an exercise, it’s ok, if you want to double up on one exercise it’s ok as well. The theme to my workouts is to keep them simple and use what you have and that includes the body, mind, and soul. The most important thing is to keep moving, get your heart rate up (it’s a high-intensity exercise), and to have fun. The best way to have fun is to let go of what happened during the day and just live in the moment. So get ready and crank up that amazing playlist you have ready to go.
Your Inner Goddess Workout:
1. Warm-up – consisting of walking or running but if you can run even better to get those heart rates up. Now I live in the country so you’re probably thinking I have lots of space for this but get creative and stop making excuses to get this workout in. Run around the block of your neighbourhood, run on the spot, run up and down the stairs, or around the park that you are in. 5 minutes is all you need.
2. Cardiovascular training – you are going to do 5 exercises which will be 1 minute in total interspaced with 1 minute of running (if you need to walk then find a hill to walk up or stairs to keep it challenging and your heart rate elevated). So once you complete 1 circuit of 10 minutes, then repeat and do the same exercises again. The total amount of time for your cardiovascular workout should be 30 minutes. Remember you are working at a high intensity (80-85% of your max heart rate) so you will be fatigued at the end of the 30 minutes. The only reason I chose 5 exercises because it’s easier to remember. After you finish your warm-up start with the following:
Exercise #1 – Side-to-side hops – put down your towel or water bottle and hop over it. With your arms slightly bent and relaxed at your side, keep your feet together and jump over the towel/water bottle. Do this movement continuously for 1 minute at a slow or fast pace.
Run for 1 minute (not too easy or a spring but keep a good fast pace)
Exercise #2 – Squats – your feet should be should width apart and angled out slightly. Your knees and hips should be slightly flexed, while the spine and neck are held in a neutral position. Lower the body until the upper legs are parallel to the ground. Your weight should be on the heels of the feet and your eyes forward throughout the movement. Be careful that your knees do not come too far beyond the front of your toes.
Run for 1 minute (not too easy or a spring but keep a good fast pace)
Exercise #3 – Push-ups (standing using a wall or a tree) You might think this is too easy but remember you are doing this for 1 minute with no rest. If you can’t find a tree, use a wall, a park bench, or even a log but I want you off of the ground and standing if possible. Place both feet on the ground and extend your body out into a straight line. Your hand placement can vary depending on what you want to work more of, your chest or triceps. Go wider with your hands if you want to focus more on the chest and narrow with the hands if you want to focus on the triceps. You can also mix it up by doing both. If you do it this way, start with the hardest position first which is with your hands narrow and then finish off to go wide.
Run for 1 minute (not too easy or a spring but keep a good fast pace)
Exercise #4 – Jumping Jacks – we’ve all done this exercise and it’s so easy but you can vary how you do it to make it more challenging. Start with your feet together and your arms down at your side. At the same time, bring your hands above your head while your legs come out to shoulder width apart. Keep your knees slightly bent. To vary this exercise you can lift up your knees and bring your arms down to your side at the same time.
Run for 1 minute (not too easy or a spring but keep a good fast pace)
Exercise #5 – Walking Lunges – with your feet shoulder width apart, start tall with your hands on your hips. Take a step forward while bending the knees and lowering your hips until your back knee touches the ground. Stand up by pushing off the front leg and then swing your back leg forward by taking another step until your back knee touches the ground. Repeat.
Maintain an upright torso through all phases of the exercise. Make sure that the knee of the front leg does not go over the ankle. You can do this exercise stationary or you can walk over a flat surface.
Run for 1 minute (not too easy or a spring but keep a good fast pace)
3. Cool-Down-
Take a few minutes and walk around when you are completed the workout. This allows for your heart rate to come down and.
Stretch- stretch out each muscle group once for about 15- 30 seconds each.
Quads – stand with your feet together. Bend one knee and hold the ankle with the same-side hand while pulling the heel towards the gluteals. Use a tree or wall for balance. Repeat on the other leg.
Hamstrings – stand with your feet together facing a bench, stairs, a rock or something this is not too elevated off of the ground. Raise one leg and rest it on top of an object. Stand tall and straighten the knee but don’t lock it. Repeat on the other leg.
Calves – place the ball or heel of one foot on the edge of a step or curb. Push the heel down, keeping the knee straight while placing the other foot slightly in front. Use something to hold on for balance or place your hands on your hips. Repeat on the other foot.
Hip Flexor – kneel on one leg. Step out with the front foot and press the hips forward. Place your hands on the front thigh for support while keeping your body weight distributed between both legs. Don’t extend the front knee over the toe. Repeat on the other leg.
Chest – hold your elbows at shoulder height with your fingers near your ears. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull the elbows back.
Triceps – lift one arm behind your head and bend your elbow and place your hand between the shoulder blades. Place your other hand on the elbow to gently push it back. Repeat with the other arm.
This completes your workout! Hope you had fun!
Last Thoughts:
Whenever I’m outside working out whether I’m doing a circuit program, running, cycling, kayaking, meditating, or just simply walking, it’s important to be mindful of where you are. What I mean by this is just take a moment and stop where you are and take in the fresh air, listen to the birds chirping, and be thankful for the trees and plants that are in your surroundings. We live in world where we are always rushing from one place to the other without truly appreciating the simple and little things we have in our lives. Let this be your time!
Feel free to drop us a comment to see how you liked it!
Have fun & stay fit!
Art & Maureen
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