If you live in our neighborhood, you’re more likely to catch us running down the street than walking , and it’s not just because we’re registered dietitians and personal trainers who are trying to squeeze extra running into our day (although that wouldn’t be a bad idea!). It’s simply because we can’t seem to find enough hours in the day to squeeze in everything we want to do. And although we’re no busier than anyone else (we likely just aren’t quite as good when it comes to time management), we try to save ourselves a few minutes when we can. We’re always trying to do things to save time, and when it comes to health hacks, our clients are frequently asking us questions along this vein. What can they eat to get in shape the fastest? Which workouts will give them the best results in the least amount of time? Can they really get stronger in 10 minutes? We came up with this ultra-effective 10-Minute Full Body Strengthener for days when you only have a few minutes to spare and are determined to get into your best shape.
The good news about this workout is that you don’t need to belong to a gym—you can do this in the comfort of your own house!
This Efficient 10-Minute Full Body Strengthener (below) is to be done in order so once you are done with the jumping jacks go right into the squats. The goal is to be able to do as much of each movement without stopping. The less time you can spend transitioning to each movement will result in a quicker time and an even better workout! If push-ups are something that you struggle with or take you a longer time to do, try Level 1 for this workout. And if you need to do knee push-ups, no problem! As long as you feel that you’re pushing yourself, it will be a great challenge and it will allow you to keep moving rather than resting for an extended period of time. You’ve got this!
Level 1:
100 jumping jacks
75 squats
30 push-ups
15 burpees
Level 2 (More advanced):
100 jumping jacks
75 squats
50 push-ups
25 burpees
A few of our top pointers:
- Tell yourself to B-R-E-A-T-H-E when doing the jumping jacks! If you’re like a lot of our clients, you’ll unintentionally hold your breath. …There are a lot of jacks to start the workout and you will want to save that breath for the rest of the movements
- The push-ups are harder than they look on paper 😉 if completing 30 or 50 push-ups are a challenge break them up into smaller sets- either sets of 5 or 10 if you can would be ideal). If the push-ups with smaller sets are too challenging, simply try cutting the total push-ups in half (so you’d complete 15 rather than 30). The great thing about push-ups is they can be scaled down to knee push-ups if they become a struggle. So, if you think knee push-ups are a good idea,try to do as traditional push-ups as you can and finish the remaining ones from the knees!
- When you get to the burpees you’ve almost made it through, so don’t give up! It’s likely you’ll be tired so remind yourself how much you’ve just done and that this is the final leg where you can step on the gas pedal, don’t give up! You made it this far so tell yourself you have enough left in the tank to finish strong!
Looking for a boost of energy before the workout?
Ideally, you’ll have eaten well during the day and will be fueled for your workout so that any boost you need is just a light snack to prevent your from feeling hungry during your workout. One of our favorite pre-workout boosts? Have a cold glass of water (this is like a shot of energy, really!) and a piece of fruit like(a banana or an apple, for example, with a little bit of peanut butter or with a low-fat/nonfat Greek yogurt. The carbs in the fruit will fuel your muscles while the protein in the peanut butter and Greek yogurt will help to keep you satisfied and keep your energy levels stable so you don’t crash.
Hungry after your workout? If you’re heading home for a meal, here’s a simple, healthy go-to meal that we often whip up and that will replenish your body: a grilled chicken breast (4-5 ounces), asparagus and broccoli (at least 1 cup or more), and a sweet potato (4-5 ounces). This can be prepared in under 20 minutes so you can quickly replenish your depleted glycogen stores (muscle energy), thanks to the carbs in the sweet potatoes. The chicken breast is the perfect source of lean protein to help to repair and rebuild your muscles after a workout and the antioxidants in the asparagus and broccoli and sweet potato hasten muscle recovery by helping to mop up free radicals that cause damage to the tissues and cells and that are a natural result from your workout. And this meal is tasty and healthy so it’s a
Here’s another meal you may enjoy that can be made in a jiffy after a workout!