Calling all busy moms! (Patiently waits for ALL of us to raise our hands). You should know by now that I’m all about efficiency, right? Or at least…trying to be efficient. We’re ALL pretty much short on time these days, especially during the holiday season. But we’re also trying to make more time for the things that are important. I know that I am a continuous work in progress when it comes to this practice.
Prioritizing our health (both physical and mental) and our fitness can feel like a lot. But guys, once again, I’m going to preach that it doesn’t have to be that way.
Even just setting aside a few minutes each day dedicated to your fitness can reap huge rewards.
Don’t believe me? Give it a try and check in after a couple of weeks and let me know how you feel. I promise you, you’ll be amazed at what you notice about yourself and your life by just taking a few minutes each day to move that beautiful body of yours.
Five-Minute Leg-Shaper & Booty-Blaster
So today, let’s take 5 minutes to do this together. I’m sharing a blast from the past: One of my all-time favorite quick workouts. And when I say quick, believe me, guys. This one is so fast, you’ll ask, “But Heidi…is it effective?”
My challenge to you is to try it and you tell me. But trust me, you WILL feel this one!
Here’s what you’ll do:
Set your timer for 5 minutes and aim to do as many rounds as possible of the following movements in order:
- 15 reverse lunges
- 15 marching soldiers
- 15 squat jacks
Just keep repeating those reps and movements as many times as you can for the full five minutes. To make it even more fun, throw on your favorite music and keep track of how many rounds you complete. Write that number down somewhere so you can find it later: Put it in a note in your phone, email it to yourself, put it on a sticky note, whatever you need to do. Then, next time you need a quick workout, challenge yourself to complete at least one more round than you did the previous time you crushed this one.
Not sure how to do these moves? Here’s a quick breakdown for you!
Reverse Lunges
- Start in a standing position with your legs straight and your arms relaxed at your side. (Note: to make this more challenging, you could opt to hold dumbbells or other weights, like water jugs, in each hand).
- With one foot still firmly planted on the ground, take your opposite leg and lunge back, tapping your back knee to the ground. Make sure that your leg that stayed planted remains firm, and your knee should now be bent at a 90 degree angle. Your knee should not be out further than your planted toe.
- Drive through the heel that’s still planted, and return to a standing position.
- Now do the opposite side.
- Once both sides have been completed once, that’s one rep.
Marching Soldiers
- Start by lying flat on your back on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground.
- Keep your right knee bent, drive your left heel into the ground, while raising your right leg toward your chest as high as you can raise it.
- Lower your right leg back down to the ground and return to your starting position.
- Switch legs and repeat this movement.
- Once both sides have been completed once, that’s one rep.
Squat Jacks
- Stand with your feel shoulder-width apart.
- Sink down into a squat position, keeping your feet planted firmly on the ground, heels down, and sinking your booty back and down like you’re getting ready to sit on a chair.
- As you start to stand, explode from the ground into a jump and bring your legs in closer together, similar to a jumping jack motion.
- Return to your squat position and repeat. Each jump equals one rep. If you want to add more resistance to this movement, put a resistance band around both legs just above your knees.
Bet you never thought five minutes could feel so long, huh? That’s the beauty of a quick body burner. It’s short enough to allow you time to get it done but effective enough to count.
What was your favorite move from today?!
xo,
Related reading:
5 Workouts You Can Do Anywhere
Quick Holiday Workouts to Keep You Motivated
At Home + On-the-Go Workout: 15 Minute Banded Lower Body Workout
Fit in Five Minutes: 3 Move AMRAP
Best At-Home 10 Minute Lower Body Workout
One Response
My fave post!!!!