A 30 Minute Workout That Totally Works!

Today I'd like to talk to you about a 30 minute workout. I just recently posted an article for a 10 minute workout because I think a lot of people are still really skeptical whether this short of workout is of any use. After all, we are all super-busy, as well as ready, willing, and able to come up with excuses why we cannot exercise. So it's a valid topic.

 But, can you guess what is 3X better than a 10 minute workout? Yep, you got it...a 30 minute workout. If you are from the old school of thought that you need an entire hour to get in a good workout, let me tell you a little secret: NONE of the successful, in-shape trainers I know EVER do a full hour workout anymore. OK, well, that may be slightly exaggerated, but mostly true. Successful people are the ones that find the most efficient way to accomplish the goal and do it, right?

 That last bit there was a big clue, in case you missed it. DO IT! Whether it is ten minutes or 30 minutes, just do it, something, anything. But let me explain for you an easy way to get a great 30 minute workout without knowing a bunch of different exercises that are efficient and excellent. I shared something similar with you in my free workout plan. It's interval style and that just means you can take a couple of powerful exercises and then do several rounds of them in quick succession so that you are getting your heart rate up and working your muscles at the same time. It's killer stuff and I love it! Simple, fast, effective.

 So here's a good example:

 Five minutes Jump rope:

 Now if you can't do five minutes, just do what you can, but push it.

 Pushups:

 How many can you do? I'm good at 12, but I must remind you that these are FULL pushups in good form, not what I see people doing, these little barely-bending, butt-hoisted-up, bad-form things sadly claiming to be pushups. Now, if you can't do a full one, that's fine, don't pretend you can, because it's causing more harm than good. Do a modified version with the knees down, and keep everything straight from knees to top of head. Then really try to bend down with the arms (NOT your neck).

 Squats:

 In the free workout plan article I explained to you exactly how to do these correctly, so I won't go into it again here. I can bang out 25 or 30 of these. How 'bout you?

 Plank pose with a twist:

 The Plank Pose by itself is great and you can just hold it for an extended length of time, so long as you don't let your belly slouch down, that means your abs have given in and you are putting strain on your lower back. So if you want, you don't even need the twist. It just depends how strong you are. If you are ready for the challenge, add the twist, which entails spacing your feet far enough apart to drop them down sideways while lifting one arm up off the floor, reaching toward the ceiling. The hand that's on the floor should be positioned under your shoulder and you want to go slowly alternating sides to respect the proper positioning, as this is working, in part, the wrist, which is very weak for most people.

 A small side note: Working the wrist is something many people shy away from. My personal experience is that I had wrist troubles for years as a waitress carrying extremely heavy trays (my wrists are ridiculously tiny) and when I started working toward my yoga certification, they gave me a lot of trouble for a time. Working past this, they then grew strong and I have had nearly zero issues with them ever since. Moral of the story: Take care, but don't shy away from strengthening the wrists.

 Well, I got so pumped up talking about this 30 minute workout routine that I decided to leave off the article writing and go do it. Of course, I had numerous interruptions from the children so I didn't get the full 30 minute workout in, but I did get a little sweaty, and I do feel much more energized. So it's all good.

 One final note: I suck at jumping rope!!