No, this does not have to do with sex or sitting on the toilet. Rather little moves to get your heart pounding while doing your daily routine. Each exercise can be done at any time, whether right before getting into the shower, while washing your face and brushing your teeth or while blow drying your hair; get creative and switch it up a bit. You’ll find yourself a little more energized in the morning from that extra rush of blood to your brain and accomplished at night, before bed that you did something other than sitting on the couch watching the Office or Real Housewives of New York/New Jersey/Atlanta.
30 Second Squats
Before getting into the shower, I found myself waiting at least 30 seconds for the water temperature to be warm enough to step in. Getting a bit bored from standing around, I started doing fast, mini squats. Bending down just a little, and quickly pulse up and down to feel the burn on the back of your thighs and of course, your butt. Stand with your legs shoulder width apart or closer together to work different muscles and to add more resistance.
Standing Crunches
These can be done anywhere, anytime and without realizing, you will actually get 50+ crunches in 30 seconds than you otherwise would doing crunches the normal way, on the floor. Stand with legs shoulder width apart, stand up straight, and suck and tighten your stomach. Now move your torso to the left and right. You will begin to feel the burn in no time!
The Stripper Within
Standing with legs shoulder width apart and with a slight bend in your knees, pretend you have a hoola-hoop around your waste and rotate those hips! Go to the left and after a minute, switch and rotate to the right. This will make you feel a little more sexy afterward and you will feel great working your stomach, butt and legs.
Tippy Toes
This is the most basic and easiest to incorporate into any daily routine. While standing in front of the mirror, or coffee pot, lift yourself up and down on your tippy toes to work your calves.
Balance Your Heart
I say balance because you really need balance to do this. I always do these exercises while drying my hair. They are definitely not for everyone, and you might get frustrated if you don’t have good balance, however…practice makes perfect. Right? Standing up, using one leg as your “tree trunk”, lift the other leg to the side and pulse that leg up and down, working the inner thigh, 10 times at first and move up to 20 as you get more comfortable. Switch sides to keep even.
Again, standing with one leg firmly planted as your “tree trunk” bend forward slightly and lift the other leg behind you. Keep it straight or bed at the knee when lifting, this is another way to work on your butt and back thigh.
Yes, You Can Stretch
Stretching is an important part of any workout, no matter how little or hard the workout. Here are three stretches I find to be quick and can do anytime with out having to lay down on the floor.
Calve Stretch: Place on leg out front, bend the back leg and point the toes of the front leg to the sky as you bed slightly. This will stretch the calves/leg muscles.
Knee, front thigh and hip: Standing on one foot, grab the other foot from behind and, making sure you are standing straight and your knees are close together, pull your bent leg back slightly. You will feel a nice stretch and if you ever have knee pain, this is one good stretch to put into your routine to help loosen the muscles around your knee.
Reach for the sky: Standing with legs shoulder width apart, reach one hand to the sky and bend to the other side, stretching out the side of your torso and hips.
I hope these little moves will get you to be more creative with your workouts, no matter how big or small they may be. No, I am not a doctor and you should always check with your physician before doing any type of workout or stretching.
