Three weeks into lockdown, I felt I had hit a plateau and I was holding weight around the tummy. It was time to shake things up with new 10-minute workout from home ideas.
Like so many of us, we find ourselves a routine that we enjoy but sadly, our body’s find themselves at a point where the exercise is no longer challenging enough, and the muscles get used to the repetition.
I had a fairly good exercise routine, being lucky enough to be in the country, I could work out 5 times a week mixing it up with Yoga, Pilates, cycling and walking along with my own HIIT class, however my body had got comfortable and I wasn’t burning fat.
So, it was time to literally shake it off…
Moving forward
I signed up to the free Nike Training App and followed the easy work out plan that can be anything from 10 to 45 minutes a day as many days a week as you like. I opted for 6 days to take it seriously and make a difference, every day using the app I would sweat enough to bring blood flow to the skin (added bonus).
Although it was not overly hard – it was enough to change my body, tighten some intercostals and make my body realise it needed to be less comfy and burn fat. A bit too ambitious, I found my quads were sore and my lunges were compromised. Easing off the level of intensity from 5 to 4 and dropped a cardio workout for something kinder helped with that. Rotating in Pilates and trampolining did the trick for me.
I joined Triyoga online £70 for 10 classes. The Nike app offers great classes. There are 12 yoga classes on the app offering a variety of levels and well worth doing and they are free!
This is my weekly routine that has helped me improve my fitness from as little as 10 minutes per day:
Monday
Morning: A soft start with a 6-minute lean fit benchmark at the beginning of the week to check in on my improvement which has seen around a 1-minute improvement on the final time compared to the initial benchmark at the beginning of the course. A very positive result, not because of the amount of time but that I am seeing results in my performance even if I’m not seeing any super drastic changes in physical appearance.
Evening: Took the Frenchie for a 25-minute walk just to get the body moving and get myself away from technology.
Tuesday
Morning: Nike Pace Breaker a 30-minute class with lunges planks, push ups but all offer easy versions, but with some good music behind it was easy enough to get through. The squats and lunges woke up my glutes.
Evening: Breath work with Richie @thebreathguy to reduce stress and help lower cortisol so my body knew it is safe to burn fat and to just relax. Breath work is great for those have high stress or creativity-based jobs as it is proven to reduce stress and increase confidence, joy and happiness whilst enriching creativity. The oxygen deprivation supports the kidneys to make more red blood cells and boost immunity.
Example of one of three different sets from Pace Breaker
Focuses: Core Stability, Full Body Strength and Lower Body Power
Workout: Complete the following circuit 3 times:
- Reverse Lunges (20 reps)
- Press Ups (12 reps)
- Side Plank Knee Drives (12 reps each side)
- Boat to Low Boat (12 reps)
Wednesday
Morning: I had a busy morning so opted for the Nike 12-minute Arms and Abs
Evening: 45-minute Bike Ride. Cycling is a good way to control or reduce weight, as it raises your metabolic rate, builds muscle and burns body fat. It’s great for those who have joint pain or long term/recurring injuries as it’s a lower impact form of exercise and depending on my energy and my time I can cycle from 45 minutes to an hour. On a mental health note, being away from technology and in nature can also reduces stress levels and restores wellbeing with proven effects on depression, stress and anxiety.
Example of one of three different sets from Arms and Abs
Focuses: Core, Upper Body Endurance
Workout: Complete the following 30 seconds each exercise circuit 4 times:
- Hammer Curls
- Modified Press Ups
- Mountain Climbers
- Triceps Extensions
- Reverse Crunch
- Sit Up Twists
Thursday
Morning: Back to the Nike App for a serious 45-minute Controlled Blast workout but, I decided to drop the intensity to level 4 as I was on level 5 with 6 classes per week and could barely walk. Below level 5 once per week, a yoga class is included, meaning less burpees but still the same amount of core and ab intensity.
Example of one of three different sets from Controlled Blast
Focuses: Core Conditioning, Total Body Endurance and Increased Metabolism
Workout: Complete the following circuit 3 times decreasing time by 15 seconds each time:
- Lateral Shuffle (1 min)
- Hip Lift March (1 min)
- Shoulder Press (1 min)
- Squat Jumps (1 min)
Friday
Morning: Vinyasa Flow Yoga 60-minute session on the Triyoga App which in addition to Yoga offers classes that are not available on Nike:
Barre
Meditation
Pilates
Nidra
Qi Gong
It is easy to add one or two of these breath related practices to the weeks exercise to help reduce stress and encourage fat loss.
Saturday
Day off
This is essential for muscles to repair. The muscles require energy for repair and can burn fat to provide this energy. Rest days are also essential to avoid injury and to give you the option to juggle things around to fit. If you don’t feel up to it on one of the days or you’re too busy, you can shift the day off to allow recovery. I still walked, swam and jumped on the motorbike but didn’t focus on exercise.
Sunday
Morning: Pilates on the Triyoga app, a lovely change for some regulated breath work and toning.
Evening: Evening breath work with Richie again a heavenly way to end the week.
What have I learnt from all of this?
As lockdown eases, I feel I can definitely continue the weekly routine, I exercise before 9am make a smoothie and start work. The beauty of lockdown is being able to work at the desk in exercise gear, making it easy to get up for a 10-minute abs and arms or 12-minute HIT class.
The Summer evenings are perfect for evening walks and bike rides. This is going to be a new way of life and as the body shifts into a new phase I can adjust it to keep pushing myself so to strengthen and burn.
With the addition of a 10-minute workout from home and proper eating, I find myself in a much better place.
