Daily activity and exercise is a really important part of building health in your whole system. Cardiovascular workouts tone your heart and lungs.
Strength training tones your muscles, and makes your body more efficient and balanced in your movements.
Exercise in general helps your digestive and lymphatic (immune) systems work more effectively, and releases endorphins that improve your mood.
I put together a strength workout that you can do anytime, anywhere with no equipment – just your own body.
It’s great for people who are just starting to work out, but I also give some more challenging versions of the same simple exercises.
I’ll show you in the video how to do each one.
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Start with whatever type of cardio exercise you can get through for at least 30 minutes at a time, and at least 4 days a week.
Add strength training to your routine for 20-30 minutes 3 days a week. You can alternate strength and cardio, or do them on the same day of the week.
Make sure though that you’re not overtraining – this can cause muscle weakness and interfere with normal hormone levels.
It’s also important to increase your overall activity level, not just when you hit the gym.
Walking or cycling to do errands, taking the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible and sitting on an exercise ball are all easy ways to get more active during the day. Just make a conscious effort to do what works for you.
Here’s the breakdown for the strength workout I went through:
1. Squats. 12 reps
Beginners – just go as low as you can.
Challenge – do jump squats.
2. Lunges. 12 reps per leg
Beginners – stationary lunges.
Challenge – jump lunges – 2 sets of 12, since you alternate legs.
3. Pushups. 12 reps
Beginners – from your knees.
Challenge – from your toes.
4. Crunches. 20 reps
Beginners – regular crunch.
Challenge – arms straight out overhead.
5. Supermans. 20 reps
Beginners – one arm and opposite leg, then switch.
Challenge – both arms and both legs at once.
6. Butt Lifts. 20 reps
Beginners – both feet on the ground, lift the hips.
Challenge – one leg crossed or in the air, do 10 reps per leg.
Go through this circuit one more time – or if you have lots of energy you can go through 3 times.
If you’re having trouble getting yourself up to start, I always tell myself that I always feel better after I exercise!
What’s your favorite cardio or strength exercise? And can you help us all out by telling us how you stay motivated? Any other questions? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
