Recently I was invited by Childrens Health Association Tasmania (Hobart Mum’s Network) to talk about easy workouts for time poor mums. These easy workout can be done at home or at a park and require no equipment. To improve your fitness it is always best to vary your workout. But if you complete these 5 exercises a number of different ways that will go a long way to making your body strong. If you do not know how to do these exercises please seek out an exercise professional who can show you. I do not want to be too technical or assume you know how to do a whole bunch of exercises.
Here are the ‘essential’ 5 exercises of any workout and a number of ways to vary your workout to keep your body guessing as to what is coming next
The big 5 are:
- squats x 10 – 15
- lunges x 8 – 15 each side
- deadlifts x 8 -15 – just body weight – double legs or single
- pushups from your knees – can be off a table x 8 – 15
- a plank – lying flat / from your knees / from your toes – 20-45 secs
Here’s some ways to complete them:
On a loop
do 1 round of exercises 1-5 in that order. Repeat 3 times
Pure repetition
do exercise 1, rest 30 seconds, repeat, rest 30 seconds, repeat – do the same for each exercise
Countdown
do 10 reps of each exercise 1-4 – then 8, then 6, then 4 then 2 rest in between as needed – finish with 3 planks with 30 secs rest in between
Buildups
do 2 reps of exercise 1-4, then 4, 6, 8 ,10, rest in between as needed – finish with 3 planks with 30 secs rest in between
Pyramid
do 2 reps of exercises 1-4 then 4, 6, 8 ,10 then count down 8, 6, 4 ,2 done – except for 3 planks with 30 secs rest in between
- Use these in conjunction with a brisk walk.
- Swing your arms if you are not pushing a pram
- If you are pushing a pram keep your body upright – ‘fish hook through the sternum’
Using a pilates ball on your back:
- place the ball between the knees, squeeze and lift and lower your hips x 10-15
- lift the hips and hold 20-45 secs
- place ball under your feet – lift hips and hold 20-45 secs
On your side:
squeeze ball between your calves and lift and lower both legs – keep hips stacked
On your tummy:
Try a plank off your knees with elbows on ball, if you can do with for 30 secs + try off your toes
More advanced – try with straight arms hands on ball – off knees / off toes
Note – if you are feeling the pelvic floor ‘bulge’ or drop lift the pelvic floor before any and all of these exercises. See a physio if you are experiencing issues like leaking of urine, a feeling of sagginess, or generally suspect your pelvic floor is not recovering post birth.
