A fortnight of fab fitness hacks…

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Always finding a reason not to exercise? Well, bye-bye excuses. These clever fitness hacks by Robyn Lawrenson will help you to easily fit fat-burning moves into your daily routine. Add one a day until you’re doing them all!

 

DAY 1
TEN BURPEES FOR THE SWEAR JAR

Nevermind R5 every time you swear, do a round of burpees and you’ll flatten the swearing curve and your waistline real quick. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms by your sides. Lower into a squat position and place your hands on the floor. Kick or step your legs back into a plank position. Jump or step your legs forward to return to a squat position. Then return to the standing position.

DAY 2
WALL PUSH-UPS

There are certainly a lot of empty walls that could be used for some extra activity, go ahead and try a wall push-up. It won’t make you too sweaty, but it will help to activate muscles in your chest and back that can help to ramp up the calorie burn. Start with 10 repetitions.

DAY 3
PLANK DURING COMMERCIALS

When a TV ad comes on, get off the couch and do a plank position. Use your couch to prop up your feet, holding up your weight on your hands. Keep your back straight, and hold. Aim to keep the position for 30 seconds.

DAY 4
WALK AND TALK

You know the saying, think on your feet? It’s been proven we get better ideas while we’re moving. So next time you have a meeting, take it while going on a walk. Or, instead of sitting down, try standing up while you talk on the phone – or better yet, try pacing around to get some extra steps. Standing while talking on the phone can also help to improve blood flow throughout the body and can help to boost energy too.

 

DAY 5
TAKE THE STAIRS

 

It boosts heart health, builds endurance, improves muscle strength and mental health. Plus, taking the stairs is way more Covid-19 friendly.

DAY 6
MAKE YOUR DAILY STEP GOAL

Download a real page-turner audiobook on your phone and make it a rule to only listen to it when you walk.

DAY 7
START SLOWLY

Start exercising by running for just one minute. Add another minute each day. With this method, you’ll be running for a full 30 minutes by the end of the month.

 

DAY 8
COACH POTATO NO MORE

 

We spend so much time watching television and sitting on the couch, so why not get some exercise while doing this? Try 10 traditional squats or couch squats. Sit on the edge of the couch and stand up, squeezing your glutes each time.

DAY 9
USE EVERYDAY OBJECTS AS WEIGHTS

You don’t need to splurge on dumbbells and kettlebells to work out. See that full water bottle over there? Pick it up. Get a good bicep workout in by doing 20 lifts per arm. Repeat as often as you like.

DAY 10
DON’T DRAG THOSE FEET

Burn some calories while you clean your home or do your grocery shopping by wearing ankle weights. The added resistance requires you to put more effort into your movement.

DAY 11
USE AN EXERCISE BALL INSTEAD OF A CHAIR AT YOUR DESK

Make exercise balls your new favourite piece of office furniture. Sitting on one forces you to engage your core because if you don’t, you’ll fall off!

DAY 12
BLOW-DRY YOUR HAIR WITH MAXIMUM EFFORT

Add wrist weights to your arms before you start blow-drying your hair or using your flat iron – your arms will love the extra workout. Leave them on while you do your makeup, and you could add an extra 30 minutes of total workout time  to your day!

DAY 13
CORE IN THE QUEUE

The next time you’re waiting in line (which is happening more and more these days), stand up straight and tense your core muscles. Hold for 10 seconds and release. Repeat until you get to the till.

And … well done, DAY 14

PLIÉ FOR YOUR DINNER

While you wait for the food to cook, do pliés, using the kitchen counter as your barre. With feet hip-distance apart and turned slightly outward, keep your back straight while you bend your knees slowly, moving straight down and straight back up. You shouldn’t feel tension in your hips, knees and ankles.

Tips from Robyn Lawrenson from BodyBack.
Details: bodyback.co.za or follow them on Facebook @BodyBackSA

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