 Want to know a secret for staying fit? Running (or walking) the stairs. Living in the city has its advantages. It also has the ability to make you a little lazy. The escalators. The public transportation. The elevators. My building has two elevators and being the 15th floor, I use the "up" machine daily.
 Ready to ramp up your fitness routine? This 12-week program will ramp up your heart rate, increase your endurance and build muscles in places that you didn't know muscles existed.
The routine uses a jump rope, dumbbells and a medicine ball. More importantly, this routine involves circuits. Circuit workouts help avoid fatigue, but they also prevent your body from anticipating the next move. A free download of the workout is available at the end of the post. It will be a lot simpler to print this one out.  I don't know about you, but I'm a big fan of workouts I can do anywhere. The gym has never felt "real" to me. I prefer to be out in the world. I want to feel the wind and jump up and down from real logs, not manufactured boxes...sometimes I just gotta be in the world. And hey, sometimes, I just don't want to go to the gym.
Because of this need for nature and aversion to the gym, I stick to a lot of circuit strength training workouts. Relying on body weight and being in tune with my body has helped me build better muscle and lose body fat where it isn't needed (hello tummy, I'm talkin' to you!). I designed this workout after having my baby and it really helped me pull everything back together. But whether you just had a baby or have never had a baby, this circuit workout will strengthen the whole body. I recommend performing this circuit daily or every other day. This workout is perfect for those worried about chronic inflammation or other body issues. You can perform these circuits in conjunction with one day of sprints to see similar result to somebody training for an endurance race. I know this because I am living proof. I look like I run every day, but I don't. Not any more. I find that moving a lot at a slow pace keeps me healthier.  If you forgot to get up this morning or just don't have time after to work to get a full workout in, the may we suggest you focus on those triceps? Triceps can be hard to maintain, and they can be even harder to tone up...so don't be sad that you can't get everything done...just get those arms moving!
The exercises included in this post should be performed at 3 sets for roughly 12-15 reps.  Building muscle and burning fat is easy once you get the hang of it, but there are things that you can do to accelerate your progress or even shed some remaining body fat if you've hit your weight goal but want to adjust your body composition. Here are a few tips.
 You read that title right. This is an "all-day" workout. This workout is designed for folks who are busy sitting at a desk all day, or at home and only have a few minutes to spare every now and again. You aren't really working out all day.
The idea is to perform a strength training or cardio-style exercise every hour. By doing so, you are keeping fit, building muscle, and giving your body the movement that it needs. Remember, our bodies were not designed to be sitting in a chair all day. |
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