We do ourselves a disservice when we imagine that the only way to do a workout is to do it perfectly.
You know what I mean — an hour at the gym with the perfect mixture of cardio and weights, the perfect activewear ensemble and the perfect amount of glistening sweat on a décolletage. Unfortunately, such a perfect scenario just doesn’t exist for women with busy lives, so we need to sandwich our workouts in however we can — or else we won’t exercise at all.
Thankfully, you can fit a decent, muscle-building routine into your day between your shower and the moment you apply your makeup. Here’s how. All you need is your body and probably a robe for coverage, unless you’re into nude workouts.
1. Cardio marching
Start by marching in place for 60 seconds to get your heart pumping. Focus on bringing your knees high, swinging your arms and flexing your abs every time you raise your leg.
2. Bathroom wall squat
Use your bathroom mat to find traction on your floor and then sink into a low squat with your back against the wall. Hold for at least 30 seconds.
3. Vanity tricep dips
Lean against your vanity with your back to the mirror and grab hold of the vanity edge with your hands. Lower the weight of your body down at least six inches and raise yourself back up. Repeat 12 times.
4. Lotion low lunge
While applying lotion to your legs, sink into a low lunge. Your goal here can either be muscle-building or stretching. If you’re trying to tone, keep your back knee hovering above the floor for 30 seconds while you put lotion on your front leg. If your goal is stretching, drop that back knee against the floor and feel a stretch through your hip flexor. Repeat on the other side.
5. Low resistance bicep curls
Find any reasonably portable, heavy object in your bathroom and use it for 12 bicep curls on each arm. I’m particularly fond of ginormous bottles of shampoo for the job.
6. Mirror-gazing neck stretch
Look at your beautiful face in the mirror. As you apply your moisturizer to your face, drop your head to the left, right, back and down to feel a good stretch through your muscles.
7. Blow dry hamstring stretch
Enjoy awesome volume by blow drying your hair upside down! Doing so is a great opportunity to stretch your hamstring muscles, too. You can either do a simple forward bend or you can shift your weight from side to side to feel an even deeper stretch through your hammies and glutes.
8. Straightener calf raises
Don’t just stand there while you put finishing touches on your style. Whether you straighten, curl or apply product, use that time to do at least 25 calf raises for toned legs.
9. Wardrobe push-ups
Time to pick out clothing, right? While you’re looking through your closet, place your hands against the wall and do 10 standing push-ups.
10. Bedroom planks
Finish your routine once you have your clothes on by dropping to the floor and holding a plank position for 30 seconds.
Congrats! You just completed a full body workout. Even though these exercises won’t satisfy all of your workout needs, they’re a great start. And remember that any time you move your body is good — so don’t miss out on good while you’re waiting on perfect.
This post was brought to you Lance Sandwich Crackers.
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