I can honestly say that working out is not always on the top of my favorite things to do list. I am more of an activity girl. But I do appreciate the importance of working out and making exercise a regular part of my routine. On those days when I really wish I was somewhere else, I always come back to my favorite exercises because at least then I can be sure that I will get something good out of my workout. Plus, by the end I am usually glad that I forged ahead! So here are my top five back ups to keep me going when I am so not in the mood!
1.Lunges- I like them forward, backward, off a height, with a knee lift, you name it, I can do them anywhere, kind of like green eggs and ham!
2. Chin-ups- I don’t know why I like these cause I am not really that good at them. I can do like 3 but when I do them I feel like I am the strongest chick in the world.
3. Push-ups- this is another one of those exercises that makes me feel strong, (especially if I do boys). But I like the push-ups because you can modify them to fit your level of fitness. So anyone can do a form of a push-up. Plus, push-ups never get easy. You can make them as hard as you like by adding a height or using one foot, (or 1 arm), and you can change the width of your arms to work different angles. This exercise has some many modifications you could write a book about push-ups! Hey, there’s an idea!
4. Plank- I love the plank. I come from a gymnastics background and we did so many plank positions with my athletes I think I just see how effective they can be. I have to admit though, the plank is stinkin’ hard. It takes practice and patience to get to a point where you can modify it and make it more challenging and fun, but I still love it!
5. Skipping- Maybe I will forever be a little girl, but I love to skip. It gets my heart pumping so fast and it takes coordination. So I feel like a champ when I skip. I like to see how fast I can go without missing the rope. And I like to see how many times I can rotate the rope in one jump.
The good thing about my favorites is they create a well-balanced workout. The other thing is that I can do all of them at home, except for the chin-ups but I can find a bar at the playground if I need too! This could just be a coincidence but it could also have occurred because there have simply been many days when I wasn’t in the mood and I picked what would keep me there. Funny how that happens sometimes, don’t you think?
Tammy Andreotti is the president of HappyFitMoms.com. Her goal is to help busy Moms live out an active and healthy lifestyle through fitness and exercise. Tammy also spends much of her time coaching, and researching the latest information on fitness and well-being.
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