Being a busy mum, integrating gym-time to your day can be tricky, most people end up dismissing the idea of working out. Just as showering or flossing every day is important, exercising your body is too. That’s why we’ve compiled these workout routines for weight loss just for you.
Why You Need To Workout
The most obvious reason is to burn calories. Excess calories can lead to health issues such as obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
A good workout routine for weight loss also strengthens your bones and builds lean muscle. It makes you strong and gives you an energy boost to handle your daily chores without much straining. You need regular exercise to build your immunity, improve your memory and improve your respiratory health.
The following workout routines for weight loss are what you need. They fit perfectly with your hectic schedule and can be done anywhere; no need for gym membership. Although they are brief, they burn lots of calories and build your strength.
HIIT Workout
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This is high-intensity interval training. It alternates between exercises of high and low intensity. What makes it an effective workout routine for weight loss is its effectiveness in burning a high amount of calories in a very short time.
You can easily squeeze it into your schedule, for instance, twenty minutes of a HIIT exercise as the kids nap can go a long way in getting your fit body back.
Here’s a full body HIIT workout routine for weight loss you can adopt:
1) Start with 60 seconds of cardio to get your heart pumping; 30 seconds of jumping jacks and 30 seconds of rope-skipping.
2) Jog slowly in place for 15 seconds
3) Do a low plank with your forearms on the floor. Raise yourself up to a high plank by using your palms to lift your body up, drop back to a low plank, repeat for 45 seconds. Planks work the core muscles, giving you a flat and toned stomach.
4) Jog slowly in place for 15 seconds
5) Have 30 seconds of jump squats to work your quadriceps, glutes, calves, and hamstrings. Squats are often associated with knee injuries, but when done right, they are the perfect exercise for your lower body. Keep your feet slightly wider than the shoulders. Your heels should turn slightly inwards. Stand upright with your eyes fixed on the same spot to help you maintain a straight back as you go up or down. Drop down like you are about to sit on an imaginary chair, ensuring your knees remain behind your toes and your weight perfectly balanced on your feet, do not lean too much on your heels or on your toes. Go as far as your knees feel comfortable, and then rise back up to a jump. Repeat.
6) Jog slowly in place for 15 seconds
7) Next are 30-second lunges. To start off, relax your shoulders and stand upright. You should look straight ahead to maintain a straight back as you did with the squats. Using one leg, take a step forward and lower your hips. Stop when both knees are bent at around ninety degrees. Lunges work the lower body targeting the glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and calf muscles.
8) Jog slowly in place for 15 seconds.
9) To work your triceps, do 30 seconds of tricep dips. Start by seating on your workout mat. Place your hands, palms facing down, on the mat below your shoulders. Begin by bending the knees and lifting your lower body off the floor with the support of the feet. Bend your elbows and lower the upper body but do not touch the floor. Pushing on your heels, return to starting position.
Do 4 sets of the exercise with a 30-second rest in between the sets, your workout is going to be complete in eighteen minutes.
Tabata
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If you still can’t find eighteen minutes to yourself, this is not a reason to give up. Here is a way to burn calories in four minutes.
Tabata is a high-intensity workout routine for weight loss that involves taking an exercise and doing it at your maximum intensity for 20 seconds. Have a 10 seconds rest and move on to another eight different exercises. Two sets of 8 exercises each is enough to keep burning calories long after you are done with the workout.
20 seconds of skipping rope
Rest for 10 seconds
20-second jump squats, with the right form
Rest for 10 seconds
20-second of push ups
Rest for 10 seconds
20 -second static squat
Rest for 10 seconds
20-second tricep dips
Rest for 10 seconds
20-seconds of skipping rope
Rest for 10 seconds
20-seconds of perfect lunges
Rest for 10 seconds
20-seconds crunches
All done in four minutes!
Burpees
While most exercises focus on working one set of muscles at a time, some exercises can work multiple muscles at a time. They are super time-savers and effective.
Burpees work your entire body with no need for equipment or going to the gym. This intense workout burns calories while building your strength.
An effective burpee workout routine requires speed, from a standing position, get into a squat, kick your legs behind and drop to a push-up. Do a quick push-up, but with the right body form, and jump back to a squat, jump up as high as you can and clap your hands above your head.
Push yourself to do as many repetitions as you can, and as fast as you can. You can increase its intensity by adding extra moves to it.
The secret to getting results from any workout routine for weight loss is in staying consistent and maintaining a healthy diet plan.
Be creative and find the time to do a HIIT, Tabata or burpees. Work out three to four consecutive days and take a day to rest and let your muscles repair. It’s normal to fail sometimes, but what’s important is that you get back on track.
Just as your child deserves the best mother, you deserve to be the best version of yourself; for you. Lose that baby fat, and get your awesome pre-baby body back.