Perhaps the two biggest excuses I hear when it comes to exercise are these:
1. I don't have time to work out or go to the gym
2. I can't afford a gym membership
I know that we live in a busy world. Since regular physical activity is no longer part of our daily lives, and we no longer have to struggle to survive for the most part, if we don't specifically build exercise into our day, it won't happen. The cost of this is staggering, and I'm not just talking about dollars here. If you are obese, your life will be on average 7 years shorter than your normal weight next door neighbor.
Because of these costs, we can't afford to have excuses when it comes to our health. I will be your excuse remover. In this post, I will show you how to develop a simple and effective strength and cardio workout that can be done in your house or anywhere, with little or no equipment.
The Devolve Workout
This is one of many work outs that you can do. It consists of strength moves hitting the major muscle groups, then cardio. I have arranged it into an easy circuit, which you can mix and match as you see fit.
Abs:
Plank
Side plank
Twisting plank- Start in plank, then twist your body, kicking your leg toward the opposite arm.
Chaturanga- Like plank, but hold yourself with your chest 1-2 inches off the ground.
Back:
Pull up- either unassisted or with a chair under your legs if you are not strong enough to do a regular pull up.
Inverted row- hang from a barbell on a rack with your legs out in front of you and pull yourself up.
Table
Legs:
Squat
Squat with medicine ball- hold the ball out in front of you. Keep your back straight!
Prisoner squat- squat with arms folded behind head.
Lunges
Wall squat- lean against wall, legs at 90 degrees and hold. Try to ignore the horrid burning sensation.
Arms:
Push up
Moving push up- do a push up, move to the right while in plank, then do another. Repeat.
Fingertip pushup
*for pushups, if you can't do a flat pushup, do it at an incline. DO NOT do knee pushups.
Cardio:
Rope Work- Take a rope, twist it once around a pole, then use your whole body to move it up and down, side to side, or in circles to create a wave.
punching bag
Truck tires- push a truck tire, flipping it over (this obviously requires a truck tire)
No power treadmill- if you are near a treadmill, get on it, and push it with your feet, making the belt move.
Burpee
Floor run- get in plank and run with your legs
Sprint
Jumping Jacks
High knee run
Squat Jumps- Do a broad jump forward in jump position
This is by no means an all inclusive list of exercises. The point is that there are plenty that you can do without very much equipment.
How to set up the circuit:
Pick one exercise from each category. Do each exercise for 1 minute. Rest 30 seconds after the circuit. Pick different exercises and repeat. Do this until you have reached 20-40 minutes. Over time, increase the amount of time that you do each exercise for, and increase your total circuit time to 1 hour.
Remember to MIX IT UP! Your body adapts to the same old thing, so switch exercises regularly. Preferentially do the ones that are particularly hard for you, as those are the ones that will give you the most benefit!
M. Jacob Ott, M.D.
No comments:
Post a Comment