Everyone knows eating right, staying active, and getting plenty of rest are important, but every mom also knows how hard it is to make taking care of yourself a priority. I don’t always cook perfectly-balanced, totally from-scratch meals, or get a full eight hours of sleep every night (thanks to my nine-month-old), but I do make exercise a priority.
When I don’t have a ton of time to spare, a circuit workout is my go-to. The greatest part about this particular workout is that it can be done anywhere, and doesn’t require any equipment. I like to use my local park, but you could just as easily walk out your front door, run around the block, and do everything else in your yard.
Start off by running (or jogging, or speed walking, you choose your level) a lap around the park. Once your heart, lungs, and muscles are warmed up, go through this circuit 3 times with as little rest as possible, running a lap in between each round. This keeps your heart rate up, maximizes your calorie burn, and gets you through the workout faster so you can get back to your busy day.
Lunges – 10 per leg
When lunging, make sure your torso stays straight up, you drop straight down, and your front knee never goes past your front toe. If you’d like more of a challenge, jump in the air while you switch your legs between each lunge or hold your baby for more resistance.
Plank – 30 seconds
When planking, keep your head, shoulders, and rear in a straight line (don’t pop your booty up or let it sag down), and focus on tightening your core and pulling everything in. There are many different modifications for the dreaded plank, and I’ve listed them from most- to least-challenging:
- Legs and arms straight, toes on the ground, with hands on the ground directly below the elbows, which should be directly below the shoulders
- Legs straight, arms bent at a 90 degree angle, elbows on the ground directly below the shoulders
- Legs bent with knees on the ground, arms straight with hands on the ground directly below the elbows, which should be directly below the shoulders
Squats – 15
- First round: traditional squats with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes facing forward
- Second round: “sissy” squats with your feet, knees, and thighs together, toes facing forward
- Third round: “sumo” squats with your feet spread wide, knees and toes facing diagonally outward
Push-ups – 10
You can either choose to do full push-ups, with your legs straight and toes on the ground, or modified push-ups, with your legs bent and knees on the ground.
And that’s it! Now wipe your sweat, drink some water, and think about how great it feels to get that out of the way.