Who has time to log hours at the gym? (Not you.) But the notion of easy and quick five-minute workouts seems totally doable.
Over the next few weeks, Elizabeth Street is bringing busy moms a series of easy, five-minute workouts from mom-of-three Heidi Powell, a life coach and personal trainer who works behind the scenes of Extreme Makeover: Weightloss Edition (her husband Chris Powell is the onscreen trainer). The best part? You can bust these moves at home and without equipment.
“We all have places to go, mouths to feed, and diapers to change,” she says. “How do we maintain this crazy busy, seemingly never-ending, tiring (yet incredibly fulfilling) schedule and manage to stay fit, feel beautiful, and be happy? The good news is that it’s easier than you think—a great exercise routine can take just five minutes a day. Just five minutes can make you feel fitter, happier, and healthier!”
Flip through the slideshow to get the exclusive moves. —Hally Wolhandler
Heidi Powell’s Five-Minute Total Body Workout
Set the clock for 5 minutes and do as many rounds as possible of:
5 Burpees
10 Swing Ups
15 Air Squats
If you’re done before the five minutes have passed, repeat the round until the time is up. Record your round, and try to beat it next time you do this workout.
Burpees:
1. Stand, feet shoulder width apart, toes pointed slightly out from parallel.
2. Squat, arms inside your knees, placing hands directly underneath shoulders.
3. Jump or step feet backward to plank position.
4. Lower body down to ground and perform a push up.
5. Fully extend elbows at the top of push up, finishing in plank position.
6. jump or walk feet forward to the frog squat position.
7. Jump, clapping hands overhead.
8. Land in the starting position with knees and hips extended, arms to the sides.
Swing-Ups:
1. Begin lying on ground face-up, knees bent, feet flat on floor and arms extended overhead.
2. Swing arms forward, using momentum to raise shoulders and torso off the ground. Touch wrists to top of your knees.
3. Extend arms overhead as you lower torso and shoulders back to ground. Touch ground overhead to complete the repetition.
Air Squats:
1. Begin in a standing position, feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly out from parallel.
2. Keeping weight on heels, bend knees and lower butt downward and backward, as if being pulled from your belt.
3. Using arms as a counterbalance, reach upward as the crease of hip drops slightly below your kneecap, making sure that knees are directly over toes.
4. Drive upward through heels, standing back up to the beginning position with knees and hips extended.
Note: This workout should not be done on consecutive days. Stay tuned for more workouts from Heidi to build your weekly routine!