Don't Let Sandy Sidetrack Your Workout

With the threat of Sandy looming large over the past few days, there has been no shortage of tips regarding how best to prepare for the possibility of having to spend multiple days stuck at home.  But amidst all the reminders about batteries and clean water, my brain quickly goes to another “what if.”  Specifically, what do I do with myself if I’m confined to home for days and am unable to get to the gym?

Clearly, I’m not the only one thinking this way, as this past weekend at the Darien Y was a busy one with members attempting to jam in extra-long sweat sessions.   There seems to be this type of get-it-in-now-to-make-up-for-later mentality.   After all, we really do not know what the upcoming week will bring.

But I do have some good news:  Some of the best workouts out there require absolutely no equipment, no electricity, and very little space.  Better yet, they don’t take up a ton of your time, which means you can slip into the guest room, do your thing, and then get back to the cabin fever kids. 

Piecing together an effective, at-home, equipment free workout is actually quite easy.  You just need to focus on some solid body weight moves (i.e. sit ups, squats, push ups, etc.) and pair them with some cardio (remember your ol’ gym class friend, the Jumping Jack?).   A simple formula to follow is to choose three exercises to form a round:  One for your lower body, one for your upper body and one for your core. Cycle through these a minimum of three times with a minute of some sort of a heart rate-inducing move between each round.

 Here’s an example of what I’m talking about.  Just for the heck of it, let’s call it “Sandy”:

Warm up with a minute of jumping jacks followed by 5 inch worms (from a standing position, place your hands on the floor, walk them as far out in front of you as you can without letting your knees touch the floor; then walk them back to your feet and return to a standing position).  Repeat the entire warm up – jumping jacks and inch worms – 3 times.

Then complete the following round:

*50 Squats

*40 Sit Ups

*30 Push Ups

(break the repetitions up if necessary; in other words, if 30 push ups is too much, do 3 sets of 10)

Do three rounds with a minute of running in place between each round.  When you’re running, focus on keeping your knees high.  Pump your arms and go as fast as you can.

Now, this example is best suited for someone who has a solid fitness foundation and has no known injuries or limitations.  It should, though, give you an idea of what you can do in the comfort of your own home.  No equipment, no electricity and no excuses required – just about 15 minutes of your time to produce some much-needed endorphins right when the stress starts to kick in!