It is my pleasure to introduce my friend Charby Ibrahim from “The Ancestral Body.” Charby is a Nutritional Health Coach and a Personal Trainer. He is guest posting on my blog today about getting exercise in with a busy schedule!

Charby is going to give us a couple short yet intense workouts to follow. As a busy mom of 2 I am thrilled to try out these work-outs! At the end he links his blog and facebook page, so head over and give him some love!

Time Very Poor – Working out? Yeah right!

Charby Ibrahim, The Ancestral Body.

Nutritional Health Coach. Personal Trainer.

It wasn’t all that long ago that I used to dismiss certain ‘excuses’ for why people couldn’t work-out. I even caught myself one day rolling my eyes on the other end of the phone when I received a cancellation call for a personal training session. Time and again, in my ignorance I would brush those comments away as laziness, thinking that some people were more comfortable in their state of self-sabotage. How unforgivably arrogant of me, and what a big load of steaming horse manure at that! I was wrong; completely and utterly WRONG! They weren’t excuses at all; merely explanations. Life happens, we REALLY are busy, and all the guilt around exercise won’t do a single thing to change that.

One night I called a client-friend who had missed a number of training sessions, just to check in on her. She immediately burst into tears. This conversation completely changed my attitude and approach to training everyday people; people with lives to live. I am so thankful for her honesty and for the conversation that followed... once the tears subsided. This woman was doing her best with two kids as a single mum, doing shift-work as a nurse (10-12 hour shifts), while trying desperately to find time to take care of herself and her own well-being. As you can imagine, getting to a one-hour class three times a week, whether outdoor or at a gym, was about a 2 hour ordeal (multiplied by three). Now it doesn’t take a genius to realise that it’s just not going to happen. 

Solution! 10 minute high intensity workouts for the super busy amongst us. I’ve designed two of them especially for the followers of the Primal Bliss blog; One can be done at home, and the other can be done at the park near you. Now, if you’re worried that you won’t see the same results from these ‘short’ workouts, think again. What we are now learning is that training at high intensity for brief periods of time, can be the cardiovascular equivalent of up to an hour of moderate intensity training. Furthermore, especially in the stressful environment of the modern world, our goal is to limit the amount of time that your body is under stress during exercise. So, here we go: 

 

Move-Well Workout – Full Body in 10 minutes

Remember, in order to maximise your time and effort, try to maintain a high level of intensity. This workout can be done anywhere; at home, at a park, at the office, etc.

1-     1 minute of alternating lunges see alternating lunges

30 second break (record how many you did)

2-     1 minute of push-ups see push-up progression

30 second break (record how many you did)

3-     1 minute of Squats see squat progression

30 second break (record how many you did)

4-     1 minute of Core Planking see plank progression

30 second break (record total time you rested)

5-     1 minute of calf raises see calf raises

30 second break (record how many you did)

6-     1 minute of Burpees see burpees

30 second break (record how many you did)

7-     Optional – 1 minute of pull-ups (chair assisted, or full body weight) see pull-up progression

Done! (Record how many you did)

That was 10 minutes – If you have another 10 minutes, feel free to go around again. If you have 4 minutes to spare, check out my post on Tabata sprints HERE. Otherwise, warm down and get on with your day.

Stretching – Always ensure an adequate warm up (example) and cool down phase (See Example Here) .

Move-Well Workout – Stairway to Heaven in 10 minutes

You will need to find some stairs in your local area, preferably at a park. Anywhere between 30-50 steps will do. If fewer, you might need to run them twice. If you can’t run stairs, find a small hill. If you can’t find a hill, flat ground sprints for 30 seconds will do.

1-      1 minute of Push-ups

2-     Run up the stairs (As fast as you can handle)

3-     Walk or shuffle down the stairs slowly (rest for 30 seconds)

4-      1 minute of Squats 

5-     Run up the stairs (As fast as you can handle)

6-     Walk or shuffle down the stairs slowly (rest for 30 seconds)

7-      1 minute of Core Planking

8-     Run up the stairs (As fast as you can handle)<

9-     Walk or shuffle down the stairs slowly (rest for 30 seconds)

10-  1 minute of Alternating Lunges

11-Run up the stairs (As fast as you can handle)

12-Walk or shuffle down the stairs slowly (rest for 30 seconds)

13-  1 minute of Burpees

14-Run up the stairs (As fast as you can handle)

15-Walk or shuffle down the stairs slowly (rest for 30 seconds)

That was 10 minutes – If you have another 10 minutes, feel free to go around again. If you have 4 minutes to spare, check out my post on Tabata sprints HERE. Otherwise, warm down and get on with your day.

Stretching – Always ensure an adequate warm up (example) and cool down phase See Example Here) .

Please note – These are both high intensity workouts. If this is your first time undertaking them, feel free to modify down to suit your level of fitness and conditioning. If you need a little more time to rest between sets at the beginning, do what’s right for you. Over-time you will find that it gets easier… or do you just get fitter and stronger? If you have any medical conditions that might be aggravated by these workouts, please seek advice from a medical professional before commencing, as you will be undertaking these exercises at your own risk. 

So, you might find time to do these workouts 2-5 times a week. Set yourself reminders in your calendar- Go for it! Finally, whenever you can spare a minute, I’d like you to incorporate some of the movements from the above workouts into your daily life. You might have a minute while waiting for the kettle to boil = 1 minute of push-ups. You might be waiting for your kid to get out of the shower = 1 minute core plank. Catch my drift?

I wish you all the very best in maximising the little time you have available to stay active. Good luck – I have no doubt that you are going to kick some butt!

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* Please note: This is a personal blog. I am not a Doctor or a dietitian. All data and information provided on this site is for informational/educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitution for professional medical advice.