It’s hard to find time for exercise in between work, household chores, and parenting. Noordheuwel’s fitness goddess, Donna Groothedde, set up a guide for getting fit fast without going to the gym.
Donna is like Wonder Woman. There’s nothing she can’t do and she always looks good doing it … This fabulous 34-year-old is not only the owner of Donna’s Health and Fitness but also a loving wife and a mother of three beautiful children. Even being diagnosed with chronic asthma or her three pregnancies couldn’t keep her down and she worked and exercised until the day before her youngest was born in 2017.
Donna’s Health and Fitness focuses on training for women and men of all ages and sizes – they offer cardio kickboxing and cross-training, circuit classes, personal training, Rebounce, Spinning, Yogalates, The Weight Studio, an in-house dietitian, in-house biokineticist and a state of the art medical machine, allowing them to accurately measure each individual’s body composition and health status.
Details: 072 243 8470, enquires@ donnasfitness.co.za or follow her on Facebook, ‘Donna’s Health& Fitness’.
10-minute workout routine to trim and tone
A lot of people don’t have time to go to the gym but according to Donna, that’s not an excuse to get up and move – even if it’s just for 10 minutes. How many calories can you burn in 10 minutes? It depends on how hard you work (quality over quantity). You can burn between 15 and 20 calories per minute with a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) programme. Before you start with any exercise programme, you need to be sure that you are healthy enough to partake in vigorous exercise. You will be pushing your heart and body to new levels so please organise a check-up with your doctor to be sure you are in good health.
For your 10-minute workout, you will need to be equipped with a stopwatch (the one on your smartphone is perfect), a pair of good cross-trainers or running shoes and a method of monitoring your workout intensity (a heart-rate monitor on your smartwatch). If you don’t own a monitor, you can take your pulse manually.
1. Two-minute warm-up at a moderate pace, bringing your heart rate to 60 per cent of your maximum heart rate: Walk with knees high on the spot.
2. One-minute of working very hard, pushing toward your max heart rate: Run on the spot with knees high.
3. 30 seconds of working at a moderate pace, bringing your heart rate to 60 per cent of your maximum heart rate: Standing hamstring curls with row arms on the spot: stand with your feet hip-width apart, stretch your arms out in front of you in line with your chest, and row back while bending your right knee, bringing your heel toward your butt. Keep your thighs parallel, return to starting position and repeat on the other side to complete one rep. Repeat.
4. One-minute of working very hard, bringing your heart rate to 85 per cent to 90 per cent of your maximum heart rate: Basic burpee: stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms by your side. Bend your knees into a squat position and reach forward to place your hands on the floor. Jump backward with your legs together into a plank position. Immediately jump your legs forward into a squat position and perform a jump, stretching your arms up to the ceiling. Repeat.
5. 30 seconds of working at a moderate pace, bringing your heart rate to 60 per cent of your maximum heart rate: Standing hamstring curl with row arms on the spot.
6. One-minute of working very hard, bringing your heart rate to 85 per cent to 90 per cent of your maximum heart rate: Push-ups: start with hands placed directly under shoulders and feet slightly wider than hip-width apart on the floor. Step legs behind with feet together and toes curled under, then lift hips up and keep chest in front of hands. Tense every muscle in body to form a straight line from head through to heel, and maintain this line throughout. Lower chest to touch floor, push palms into the floor and extend arms to press body back up to start position and repeat.
7. 30 seconds of working at a moderate pace, bringing your heart rate to 60 per cent of your maximum heart rate: Standing hamstring curl with row arms on the spot.
8. One-minute of working very hard bringing your heart rate to 85 per cent to 90 per cent of your maximum heart rate: Bicycle crunches: lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground. Pull in your belly button to engage your deep abs. Put your hands behind your head, resting your head in your hands, then bring your knees in towards your chest. Lift your shoulder blades off the ground, but be sure not to pull on your neck. Straighten your right leg out to about a 45-degree angle to the ground while turning your upper body to the left, bringing your right elbow towards the left knee. Make sure your rib cage is moving and not just your elbows. Now switch sides and do the same motion on the other side to complete one rep, and repeat.
9. 30 seconds of working at a moderate pace, bringing your heart rate to 60 per cent of your maximum heart rate: Standing hamstring curl with row arms on the spot 10. Two-minutes full-body cooldown stretch.
Total workout time: 10 minutes
Fitness hack: The first thing you need to do is work out your maximum heart rate (220 minus your age). Be sure to engage your core throughout, maintaining good postural alignment.
A quick and healthy smoothie recipe:
Blend 125ml baby spinach leaves; three branches of broccoli; 15ml no sugar, no salt peanut butter; 100ml of almond milk or plain low-fat Greek yogurt; a handful of frozen berries and 5ml raw, unadulterated honey. Enjoy!
Text: JACO-MARI HAASBROEK. Photographer: CHENE STRAUSS PHOTOGRAPHY
