I don’t always have the time or energy to go to the gym, but I do commit to finding time to take care of my body and mind. For me, that means being mindful of what I eat, staying active, and looking for ways to de-stress and relax. At least five days a week, I do simple and easy workouts that take about 30 minutes a day and don’t require a lot of equipment, so I can work out anywhere in the house.
All I need is a yoga mat, dumbbells, and ankle weights. If you don’t have a yoga mat, you can use a towel or blanket (anything that has a cushion and gives you a grip). Alternatives to dumbbells are full water bottles or soup cans, anything with some weight that you can easily hold in your hands. If you don’t have ankle weights you can use dumbbells or something similar and place them behind your knee. I like to squeeze in a morning workout in my bedroom while the kids are in school or late afternoon in the living room during the kids’ after school snack.
My fitness goals are to tone and strengthen my entire body, so my routine combines upper and lower body exercises, core exercises, and yoga. To strengthen my upper body, I do a series of different arm moves with dumbbells that work the shoulders, biceps, core, and triceps in just 10 minutes. Each move is done for 30 to 90 seconds, so I use the timer app on my phone to keep track.
The glutes are my favorite muscles to train because they’re fun and I see the most progress. I love to sculpt and firm them with donkey kicks and the fire hydrant pose. These are great for both stability and toning as they target your booty as well as your core and shoulder muscles. To make the exercises more challenging, I strap on ankle weights.
All of these exercises help the midsection, but to really target the core I do three variations of crunches. They’re simple and easy to do and when done properly, they can strengthen and define the abdominals. Crunches should be performed with slow and controlled movements while contracting your abs throughout the exercise.
I’ve been practicing yoga for a few years and it has enriched my well-being in so many ways. I feel stronger, more flexible, and in better control of my balance. It also helps me relieve stress and clear my mind, allowing me to be calm and reflect. I like the stretching and movements of Vinyasa flow yoga, and bodyweight strength training of power yoga. I also love doing yoga inversions – yoga poses that take you upside down. They’re fun and challenging at times, but I love testing my balance and trying different positions. Each type of yoga helps give you better balance, build core strength, and improve circulation.
Below is my weekly workout schedule and directions for each exercise. Continue reading for details or find my quick guide here. Note that I am not a professional – these workouts are what works for me and my schedule. You should consult your physician or other health care professional before starting this or any other fitness program to determine if it is right for your needs.
Workout Equipment
Yoga Mat
You can make any space your gym with a yoga mat, which has a relatively low cost. It creates a safe space for workouts by providing stability and comfort while performing exercises. They are usually 72”x24”, 1/4″ thick, and can easily be rolled up for storage.
Ankle Weights
I love using these to target and isolate muscles. It gives me a free range of movement that typical weight equipment can’t. They generally come in weights ranging from 1 lb to 10 lbs. I currently use 15 lbs by combining 5 lbs and 10 lbs ankle weights. When starting out, begin with no weights and gradually increase the weight increment as you get stronger.
Dumbbells
There’s so much you can do with just a single set of dumbbells! They’re versatile, compact, and easy-to-use weights that let you create a variety of workouts. I use 5 lbs and 8 lbs, but use whatever weight you feel most comfortable with.
Weekly Workout Schedule
Monday: Lower Body and Abs
Tuesday: Arms and Abs
Wednesday: Vinyasa Yoga Flow and Lower Body
Thursday: Arms and Abs
Friday: Lower Body and Yoga Inversions
Saturday and Sunday: Power Yoga and Yoga Inversions (Optional)
Before beginning any workout, I do warm-up exercises for one minute. This usually consists of jumping jacks, walking lunges, and hip thrusts.
Workouts at Home (or Anywhere!)
LOWER BODY
Bent Knee Hip Extensions (Donkey Kicks, 3 sets of 10 reps, alternating legs after each set)
- Attach ankle weight to each ankle (optional).
- Start on your hands and knees. Place your shoulders above your hands and your hips above your knees. Tighten your core and look down, keeping your neck neutral.
- Squeeze your glutes. Lift your left leg, keeping your knee at a 90 degree angle. Continue until your left thigh is parallel to the floor.
- Lower your leg to complete 1 rep. Do 1 set of 10 reps.
- Repeat with the other leg to complete one set.
Quadruped Hip Abductions (Fire Hydrant Pose, 3 sets of 10 reps, alternating legs after each set)
- Attach ankle weights to each ankle (optional).
- Start on your hands and knees. Place your shoulders above your hands and your hips above your knees. Tighten your core and look down.
- Lift your left leg away from your body at a 45-degree angle while keeping your knee at a 90 degree angle.
- Lower your leg to starting position to complete one rep. Do 1 set of 10 reps.
- Repeat with the other leg to complete one set.
UPPER BODY
Basic Biceps Curl and Overhead Press (90 seconds)
- Hold the dumbbells in front of your body, palms facing up.
- Curl the dumbbells to your shoulders.
- Rotate the weights so your palms are facing away from you, and press the weights up and overhead.
- Slowly reverse the motion to bring your arms back to the starting position.
- Repeat for 90 seconds.
Hammer Curl to Overhead Press (90 seconds)
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms relaxed by your sides, and palms facing each other.
- Curl the weights to your shoulders.
- Then, with your palms still facing in, press the weights overhead, keeping the weights directly over the shoulders.
- Reverse the motion to bring your arms back down to the starting position.
- Repeat this movement for 90 seconds.
Bent-Over Triceps Kickbacks (60 seconds)
- Stand tall, then bend your knees and hinge forward at the hips, keeping the core tight and back flat.
- Hold your arms at your sides, with a dumbbell in each hand, thumbs up, and palms facing each other.
- Bend at the elbows until your forearms are parallel to the ground, keeping your elbows in roughly the same spot.
- Keeping your elbows tight by your rib cage, lift the weights back to completely straighten your arms.
- Bend your elbows to bring your forearms parallel to the ground to complete one rep.
- Repeat for 60 seconds.
Skull Crushers (45 seconds)
- Lie with your back flat on the ground or a mat, with your legs bent with your feet on the floor.
- Hold the dumbbells straight up and over your shoulders, palms facing in, keeping your hands shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your elbows to bring the weights down by the sides of your head, keeping your elbows in the same spot.
- Extend and straighten arms back out, up and over your shoulders, palms facing in.
- Repeat this bend-extend movement for 45 seconds.
Wide-Grip Biceps Curl (90 seconds)
- Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart.
- Holding a dumbbell in each hand, place your arms wide at your sides with your elbows pushing in toward your ribs, palms facing up.
- Perform wide-grip bicep curls by bending at the elbow.
- Repeat for 90 seconds.
Close-Grip to Wide Grip (30 seconds)
- Immediately following the wide-grip curl exercise, hold the dumbbells out with your arms at 90-degree angles.
- Bring your elbows together, while keeping your arms at 90-degree angles, then bring them back to the starting position.
- Open and close your arms this way for 30 seconds.
Triceps Overhead Press (90 seconds)
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Extend your arms overhead, and press the weights together.
- With your elbows locked in place, bend at the elbows to lower the dumbbells behind your head.
- Raise your arms back up, straightening them completely at the top.
- Keep your upper arms and elbows close to your ears.
- Continue this movement for 90 seconds.
CORE
Abdominal Crunch (3 sets of 20 reps)
- Lie on your back, knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
- Place your hands behind the head for support, but avoid pulling on the neck.
- Contract the abs, lifting your shoulder blades about 1-2” inches off the floor.
- Hold the position for a few seconds and lower down slowly, but don’t relax all the way to complete one rep.
- Repeat for 3 sets of 20 reps.
Oblique Crunch (3 sets of 20 reps)
- Lie on your back, knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Roll your knees to one side down to the floor.
- Place your hands behind the head for support, but avoid pulling on the neck.
- Contract the abs, slowly curl up towards your hips until your shoulders are about 3” off the floor.
- Hold the position for a few seconds and lower down slowly.
- Perform 12 oblique crunches and repeat on the opposite side.
Vertical Leg Crunch (3 sets of 20 reps)
- Lie on the floor and extend the legs straight up with knees crossed.
- Place your hands behind the head for support, but avoid pulling on the neck.
- Contract the abs, lifting the shoulder blades about 1 or 2 inches off the floor.
- Hold the position for a few seconds and lower down slowly.
- Lower and repeat for 20 reps.
Yoga
I like to alternate between Vinyasa flow and power yoga. I love this video from Yoga with Adriene for a full-body yoga flow that concentrates on the hips and core. For power yoga, this is a great video that combines both vinyasa flow and power yoga. My favorite yoga inversions are shirshasana (headstand pose). If you are just starting out with shirshasana, this video will help you begin safely. There are so many great videos out there so you can find what fits for you. Give it a try and have fun with it!
Home Workout Quick Guide
Did you make any New Year’s resolutions this year? If so, what were they?
