By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
Whether you are a busy professional, student, or a stay at home parent, a 15-minute bodyweight workout can be the perfect solution for your exercise needs. Designed to be done pretty much anywhere with no fitness equipment and in enough time to squeeze into a customary work break, super short but non-stop workouts can be very effective for building strength and cardio endurance.
It may just be 15 short minutes, but the key is to make the workout intense by getting through each exercise as quickly as you can with minimal rest. If you want to make the workout longer, simply add more sets.
This workout style was demonstrated at the latest Wellness Wednesday, which takes place every Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. in room 264 at the Tulalip Tribes Admin Building. The 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month are designated to healthy cooking demonstration, while the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of every month are to teach the basic fundamentals of everyday fitness. Brought to you by SNAP-ED Coordinator AnneCherise Jensen, this free fitness demonstration is great exercise for anyone regardless of fitness level.
“Getting at least 15-minutes of intense exercise every day is one of the best ways to prevent chronic diseases from developing over time. Like they say, exercise really is the best medicine!” proclaims AnneCherise. “Getting in a 15-minute exercise will help you burn more calories throughout the day that will help you maintain a healthy body weight. Fifteen minutes of exercise will help stimulate various brain chemicals making you feel happier and more relaxed throughout the day.
“Studies have shown that exercising regularly helps manage both anxiety and depression. A 15-minute exercise will get the heart rate up, which will naturally help prevent against heart disease and regulate good blood cholesterol. For those who are sedentary throughout the day and generally sit at a desk all day, getting in at least 15-minutes of exercise is especially important for obtaining good health.”
Among the Wellness Wednesday participants were tribal members and sisters, Shelbi and Celum Hatch. Following the short, intense workout Shelbi’s reaction was, “It was fun. The convenience is pretty ideal to have this offered at work because my issue lately is I can’t make it to the gym after work, can’t make it before, and if I do make it at lunch there’s barely enough time to get a workout in.”
Cooling down from the workout and feeling the immediate effects Celum added, “Yeah, my heart is racing pretty good and I have a good sweat going, so that proves the workout was effective. I thought it was a good class. It was convenient with location and time.”
This particular 15-minute workout will hit many of the different muscles in your core and legs. Get ready to work your obliques, lower abs, triceps, calves, hammies, and glutes. Working the muscles of your legs and the abs helps you maintain balance, good posture, and an overall strong physique. Plus, bodyweight exercises can challenge more of the body than a supported weight workout might. Here is a breakdown of the workout completed during the Wellness Wednesday fitness demo.
Warm Up: (2-3 minutes)
- 5 jumping jacks
- 5 push ups
- 5 sit ups
Routine: (8-10 minutes)
- 60 seconds: Stretching
- 30 seconds: Marching
- 30 seconds: Stepping side to side with torso rotations
- 30 seconds: Stepping side to side, kicking high knees, bringing arms up and down with each high knee.
- 30 seconds: Step Touch, moving arms up and down with each step.
- 30 seconds: Squat in place, keeping your spine and shoulders back.
- 30 seconds: Marching with hands moving back and forth
- 30 seconds: Stepping feet back to back while doing bicep curls with arms.
- 30 seconds: Stepping feet back to back while doing triceps curls with arms.
- 30 seconds: Marching with hands moving back and forth
- 30 seconds: Stepping side to side, taking left elbow to right knee, and right knee to left elbow.
- 30 seconds: Marching at a fast pace with various arm rotations.
- 30 seconds: Step to step, tapping right hand to inside of your left ankle, then left hand to right ankle.
- 30 seconds: Stepping side to side, pulling arms back at all times, with left calf back then right calf back.
- 30 seconds: Multiple Squats while reaching your hands up and down.
- 60 seconds: 20 jumping jacks
Cool Down: (2-3 minutes)
- 30 seconds: Marching slowly in place
- 30 second: Toe touch, head down, stretch the hamstrings.
- 30 seconds: Standing side to side torso rotations
- 60 seconds: Various yoga stretches
Reminders:
- Always remember to breathe in and out. Good breathing is key to a successful workout
- The more you move your arms throughout workout, the better the cardio workout. Remember, don’t stop moving!
- Do this at your own fitness level; feel free to modify it to whatever you feel comfortable with. You don’t want to overdo it and hurt yourself.
- Be sure to put on some up-beat music to get the energy flowing.