Moving your body is so incredibly important for your health, and yet for so many of us, it's low on the priority list. It might be a little too hot, a little too late or a little bit too much effort to drive to a gym, and struggle your way through an hour long class.
But sneaking some extra exercise into your day doesn't have to be a chore. If you've got a little bit of space, and 10 minutes to spare, you can squeeze this workout in somewhere into your day. Whether you wake up 10 minutes early and get it over and done with before your day begins, pump it out on your lunch break or delay the drive home, it's easy to find 10 minutes in your day.
Setting up your workout
The beauty of an at-home workout is that it can be done anywhere, but these are a couple of things to consider when getting ready to do your workout:
Make sure you have enough space to move freely. Clutter and tripping hazards are not your friends when working out.
Make sure you've got some drinking water handy.
Switch your phone onto airplane mode so you can do the workout in peace!
The Format
This style of workout is an interval-style workout, and the exact times can be adjusted to suit you. The basic concept is to perform an exercise for 45 seconds, with 15 seconds in between sets. Depending on your fitness level, you can use that 15 second interval to rest, or to really get a sweat on, you could perform some kind of cardio exercise to get that heart-rate up! Some cardio exercises you could perform in the interval include:
Jumping jacks
High knees
Quick feet
Burpees
Jump lunges
The Exercises
These are the exercises to perform in the 45 seconds of work time- you can do them in any order you choose! If you're unsure on how to do any of these, or you are just wanting to make sure your form is perfect, there are plenty of helpful videos available on Youtube. Perform each action as many times as you can in the 45 seconds, making sure you keep your form perfect throughout to avoid injury.
Squats
Standing with your feet shoulder width apart, with toes facing forward, sit back so your legs make a right angle, putting your bodyweight onto your heels, and making sure your knees don't go past your toes. Remember to keep your back straight and shoulders back!
Hip Thrusts
Lying on your back, with your feet flat on the floor, raise your hips up and lower them back down again.
Push-Up
Hold your body in a plank position, up on your hands and toes (or your knees if you can't do them on your toes), keep your back straight, and lower your torso to the ground and push it back up again.
Donkey Kicks
On your hands and knees, raise one foot at a time into the air, squeezing your glutes before returning your knee to the ground. Alternate this movement on both sides.
Alternating Lunges
Standing with your feet hip-width apart, put one foot out in front and lower your back knee towards the ground, so both knees are at right angles. Raise up and return that foot, and repeat on the other side.
Tricep Dips (or Tricep Push Ups)
To do tricep dips, you'll need a step, or a chair that won't move when you put weight on it! Sit on the platform, with the heels of your hands near the edge next to your hips. Using your arms, lower yourself down and back up again, keeping your feet out in front of you and taking your body weight on the heels of your hands.
If you don't have a step-like structure in your home that is safe to do these on, you can do tricep push-ups instead. In your push up position, bring your hands together so your thumb and pointer make a diamond shape under your chest, lower yourself down and push yourself back up.
Hydrants
On your hands and knees, lift one knee at a time out to the side, so your thigh and your torso make an L shape. Return that knee to the ground and repeat on the other side.
Froggies (Hindu Squat)
Standing with your hips shoulder width apart, bend your knees into a deep squat, and put your elbows on the inside of your knees. Pretending as though they're glued there, straighten your legs as much as you can, and then drop your glutes back down again, as close to the ground as you can get.
Plank Up-Down
In a plank position, holding your body rigid and with your weight on your forearms and toes, lift yourself up, one arm at a time onto your hands, and then lower yourself back down to your forearms. Repeat.
Sit-Ups (or Crunches)
Lying on your back, with your feet flat on the floor and heels close to your body, hold your hands next to your ears (or cross your arms across your chest) and tense your abs to lift your shoulders towards your knees. If this is too challenging to start with, place your hands on your thighs and tense your abs to get your hands as close to your knees as possible.
The 10-Minute workout you can do at home
Moving your body is so incredibly important for your health, and yet for so many of us, it's low on the priority list. It might be a little too hot, a little too late or a little bit too much effort to drive to a gym, and struggle your way through an hour long class.
But sneaking some extra exercise into your day doesn't have to be a chore. If you've got a little bit of space, and 10 minutes to spare, you can squeeze this workout in somewhere into your day. Whether you wake up 10 minutes early and get it over and done with before your day begins, pump it out on your lunch break or delay the drive home, it's easy to find 10 minutes in your day.
Setting up your workout
The beauty of an at-home workout is that it can be done anywhere, but these are a couple of things to consider when getting ready to do your workout:
The Format
This style of workout is an interval-style workout, and the exact times can be adjusted to suit you. The basic concept is to perform an exercise for 45 seconds, with 15 seconds in between sets. Depending on your fitness level, you can use that 15 second interval to rest, or to really get a sweat on, you could perform some kind of cardio exercise to get that heart-rate up! Some cardio exercises you could perform in the interval include:
The Exercises
These are the exercises to perform in the 45 seconds of work time- you can do them in any order you choose! If you're unsure on how to do any of these, or you are just wanting to make sure your form is perfect, there are plenty of helpful videos available on Youtube. Perform each action as many times as you can in the 45 seconds, making sure you keep your form perfect throughout to avoid injury.
Squats
Standing with your feet shoulder width apart, with toes facing forward, sit back so your legs make a right angle, putting your bodyweight onto your heels, and making sure your knees don't go past your toes. Remember to keep your back straight and shoulders back!
Hip Thrusts
Lying on your back, with your feet flat on the floor, raise your hips up and lower them back down again.
Push-Up
Hold your body in a plank position, up on your hands and toes (or your knees if you can't do them on your toes), keep your back straight, and lower your torso to the ground and push it back up again.
Donkey Kicks
On your hands and knees, raise one foot at a time into the air, squeezing your glutes before returning your knee to the ground. Alternate this movement on both sides.
Alternating Lunges
Standing with your feet hip-width apart, put one foot out in front and lower your back knee towards the ground, so both knees are at right angles. Raise up and return that foot, and repeat on the other side.
Tricep Dips (or Tricep Push Ups)
To do tricep dips, you'll need a step, or a chair that won't move when you put weight on it! Sit on the platform, with the heels of your hands near the edge next to your hips. Using your arms, lower yourself down and back up again, keeping your feet out in front of you and taking your body weight on the heels of your hands.
If you don't have a step-like structure in your home that is safe to do these on, you can do tricep push-ups instead. In your push up position, bring your hands together so your thumb and pointer make a diamond shape under your chest, lower yourself down and push yourself back up.
Hydrants
On your hands and knees, lift one knee at a time out to the side, so your thigh and your torso make an L shape. Return that knee to the ground and repeat on the other side.
Froggies (Hindu Squat)
Standing with your hips shoulder width apart, bend your knees into a deep squat, and put your elbows on the inside of your knees. Pretending as though they're glued there, straighten your legs as much as you can, and then drop your glutes back down again, as close to the ground as you can get.
Plank Up-Down
In a plank position, holding your body rigid and with your weight on your forearms and toes, lift yourself up, one arm at a time onto your hands, and then lower yourself back down to your forearms. Repeat.
Sit-Ups (or Crunches)
Lying on your back, with your feet flat on the floor and heels close to your body, hold your hands next to your ears (or cross your arms across your chest) and tense your abs to lift your shoulders towards your knees. If this is too challenging to start with, place your hands on your thighs and tense your abs to get your hands as close to your knees as possible.